


More Than Words

by amyren



Category: One Piece
Genre: Action/Adventure, Bisexual Vinsmoke Sanji, Caring Roronoa Zoro, Developing Relationship, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Gay Roronoa Zoro, Gay Sex, Light Angst, M/M, Mugiwara no Ichimi | Straw Hat Pirates, Relationship Issues, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 17:29:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 23,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29612925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amyren/pseuds/amyren
Summary: Sanji discovers Zoro doing something unthinkable, causing their relationship to spiral out of control. Is it a welcome change? We'll see."Sanji woke in the early hours of the next morning and headed straight to the bathroom for a shower. He was in great spirits and nothing could stand in his way.Before entering the shower room Sanji noticed that Zoro's swords were at the door. He pushed the door open to tell him to hurry but before he could, he saw a sight he hadn't expected."
Relationships: Roronoa Zoro/Vinsmoke Sanji
Comments: 31
Kudos: 114





	1. Caught

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfic is to be taken lightly and if some things go off canon it is only because I am still getting used to writing again and I want the narrative to be easy to follow. Each chapter will take place from both Sanji and Zoro's perspective. 
> 
> I set the fanfic after the time-skip, mostly because I love Zoro's aesthetic and I want all of my favourite characters to be included! I chose not to send them to the New World just yet, as it would just get too complicated for me. I want to have a fun time writing!
> 
> I am also trying my best to keep Sanji and Zoro as close to their personalities as possible, but since One Piece is not a romantic anime/manga I will be taking some liberties. I also want Zoro to let his romantic and caring side out a little more!

Zoro was on his last push-up and he was feeling energized. He drove through the last one and picked himself up from the floor of the crow's nest. Throwing his towel around his neck, he peered through the window to the open sea.

It had been two years since the Straw Hats had stepped foot on the Sunny and it was a relief to be back. They had all gone through a big change in those years and they were still settling in together again, but they were all ready for their new adventures.

When the Paramount War had happened, Zoro had felt entirely helpless and wished he could have been there to assist his captain in saving his brother.

They had left land a few hours ago and hadn't had time to talk too much about their years apart. Zoro was sure they would later in the evening after dinner.

He could see Nami barking orders at the front of the ship while checking her log pose. Luffy was sitting on the figurehead smiling from ear to ear and he assumed the rest of the crew were in their favourite places.

Zoro threw his towel onto the railing, opened the hatch and walked around to the kitchen.

"You lost, shitty swordsman?" the stupid cook was already giving him hassle since they had boarded, which had inspired Zoro to promptly make his way to the crow's nest to train, " I just want a bottle, I'm thirsty".

The cook grabbed a bottle of Sake and threw it at him, "still an alcoholic huh?".

Zoro growled and looked at the cook's cigarette "Still an addict?"

This started a series of retorts that ended with the clashing of the cook's kicks against metal.

The fight was soon broken up by Nami who came into the kitchen yelling, "We have only just set sail a few hours ago and you two are already fighting? Cut it out or you'll both be on watch for two weeks straight!"

"You wouldn’t dare"... Nami stood still, face turning red, she lowered her fist onto the swordsman's head leaving a multitude of bumps.

"Oh my Nami-swan is still full of fire" the cook was spiralling around the navigator with hearts in his eyes. Unfortunately, she was in no mood for this and the cook was also left with a sore head.

* * *

That evening Sanji had prepared a wonderful reunion feast for the Straw Hats. He had made each of their favourites and was delighted to see them all enjoying their meals. Well, all except the swordsman that never really expressed any kind of emotion while he was eating.

Luffy was grabbing all the meat he could find; Nami, delicious rice infused with tangerines; Usopp his favourite fish; Brook a delicious curry; Robin had cucumber sandwiches, Franky, gourmet hamburgers; Chopper, cotton candy flavoured chocolate cake, and Zoro unenthusiastically ate onigiri.

Sanji looked upon his friends with great comfort, he felt content seeing all their smiling faces again. He had changed a lot in the two years and was glad to be back where he belonged.  


Most of them, apart from the Captain and Chopper, drank ale and sang songs once they had finished and thanked Sanji for their wonderful meals. As the night drew on the crew went out of the kitchen to spend the rest of the evening under the stars. The temperature was still fine and the night was clear.

It was about time they all talked about their experiences and who better to start than their wonderful navigator.

"Tell us everything Nami-san" Sanji sighed.

"Uhh.. well. I was sent to a beautiful Sky Island called Weatheria. But I can't help thinking it's too much of a coincidence that I landed there..."

"How come, Nami-san?"

"Well the island is dedicated to the study of weather and I was able to learn a lot from my tutor Haredas. He isn't really happy with my way of using the weather, but he still taught me everything he knows'' Nami giggled.

"You spent two years being waited on by another man" Sanji was suddenly looking glum.

Nami just sighed and rolled her eyes "He was an old man, Sanji-kun, no need to be so down. Anyway, enough about me. What about Sanji-kun, what happened to you?"

Sanji suddenly froze and turned pale, "I don't want to talk about it, my dear Nami-san". The rest of the crew studied Sanji's reaction with confusion but the Captain just shrugged and started telling great tales of his adventures and all he had learned from his training with Rayleigh.

At this opportunity, Sanji managed to slip away to the back of the ship for some peace. He was troubled ever since he had landed at the Kamabakka Kingdom, but he felt like he couldn't confide in any of his crewmates about this. He was simply too embarrassed.

Sanji lit a cigarette and looked out at the calm ocean, thinking back to his memories of those two years. He couldn't deny he had grown significantly and he was grateful for everything they had done for him. He just had a strange feeling knowing that most of his crewmates had clearly been sent to intentional locations.

It must have been because of the Newkama Kenpo. Yes, that was it. Sanji decided it was pointless worrying about this and returned to his friends.

A few hours later, everyone had either gone to bed or fell asleep on the grass. The only one who was still awake was the stupid marimo and he had no intention of having any conversation with him.

"Oi, shitty cook" he heard Zoro's voice behind him as he was leaving.

"What is it, marimo head?" Sanji replied gritting his teeth.

"I’m out of Sake"

"Get off your stupid ass and go get some then"

"You're the cook, you go get it"

Sanji lost his patience and turned around to the swordsman, kicking him in the chest. He looked down at Zoro with disdain, then headed to his original destination. Sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter was short but I am just getting back into writing. Please be patient with me as I try to refine my skills through experience again <3


	2. The Discovery

Sanji woke in the early hours of the next morning and headed straight to the bathroom for a shower. He was in great spirits and nothing could stand in his way. 

Before entering the shower room Sanji noticed that Zoro's swords were at the door. He pushed the door open to tell him to hurry but before he could, he saw a sight he hadn't expected through the window. 

Zoro sat in the tub with a visible look of pleasure on his face, his breathing was short while he was rubbing his left hand over his chest and his right was under the water moving rapidly. 

Sanji stood still for a few moments watching him. His biggest shock was that the swordsman had any sort of sexual desire…

He snapped out of it and rushed from the bathroom regretting that he had ever entered. 

He would just forget this and cook breakfast for everyone.

* * *

Zoro's morning had begun like any other, he woke, he trained, he bathed. 

He left his swords at the door of the bathroom and ran a hot steamy bath. This was one of Zoro's guilty pleasures and something he had sorely missed while he was on Kuraigana Island. 

He stripped out of his clothes, which were still damp from the rigorous training of the morning and eagerly dipped his right foot into the tub. Once he adjusted to the heat, he brought in his other leg and slowly lowered himself. 

His body had improved since they had parted ways and he was proud of what he had accomplished. So he deserved this brief moment of relaxation. 

It seemed he was a little too relaxed in his thoughts because he felt something stiffen between his legs. He didn't want to pleasure himself in one of the crew's common areas but his desire was starting to burn. 

"Fuck it..." he said out loud to himself. 

He leaned back and closed his eyes, well the one he could still open. His hand explored his hard pectoral muscles while running his fingers over his sensitive nipples... now that was one of his weak spots. 

Under the water, his other hand ran up and down the inside of his thighs until he finally found what he had been searching for. His erection was hard and throbbing.

It had been some time since he had been able to find a quiet moment. His trip to Sabaody Archipelago with Mihawk and Perona had certainly lacked any privacy. 

He grabbed his member slowly and gently, running his hand up and down the entire length. He couldn't help but go faster as the urge to release himself built, he was now moving his hand readily and could feel he was almost there. 

He was slightly distracted when he thought he heard the door to the bathroom close on the other side. He must have imagined it. It didn't matter now anyway, he was too invested in this moment. 

Zoro's left hand pushed him up so he sat on the side of the tub and after a few more strokes he reached his climax, releasing his pent up pleasure onto his stomach with a great sigh. 

"What a great start to the day" Zoro smiled to himself. 

* * *

"Sanjiiii, I'm hungry" 

"I don't care if you're my captain, I'll kick you off the side of the ship if you don't get out of here before it's ready" 

Luffy frowned at the cook and left the kitchen. 

Sanji was carefully chopping onions to make delicate Potato Frittatas with cheese and bacon. He sighed, putting down his knife and washing his hands.

He buried his head in his fingers and as soon as his eyes closed the image of the swordsman appeared in his mind. He opened them with a disgusted sound and grabbed for the cigarettes in his pocket. Lighting one, he relaxed and leaned against the counter. 

Why did the swordsman have to be so careless? His life would have been a thousand times better if he had never discovered that. If only it had been one of his beautiful princesses... this thought was a good distraction from the rough marimo head and he continued the preparation of breakfast.

"Oi, Sanjiiiii. I can't wait anymore" the captain burst through the kitchen door grovelling on the floor drooling.

"Fine. Sit down, it's almost ready" he was too bothered by his thoughts to even object. 

The ship's doctor entered shortly after Luffy "Oh it smells delicious, Sanji"

"I made sweet pancakes as well, especially for you, Chopper" Sanji smiled at his cute friend

Chopper began swaying back and forth "Oh, shut up you idiot, I'm not flattered that you thought of me" his smile was certainly betraying his words. 

"Could you tell everyone breakfast will be served promptly?" 

At this the doctor ran out returning with the rest of the crew, Sanji's eyes lit up as he saw Nami and Robin "Ahh good morning, my beauties. You are both as radiant as ever" 

Nami rolled her eyes while smiling and Robin blushed and giggled "Oh it smells wonderful in here, Sanji. What are we having?" 

"I have made Frittatas with cheese and bacon and pancakes with syrup for Chopper" 

"I want pancakes too, Sanji" complained the Captain. 

"You eat the Frittatas or you don't eat all" 

"It's ok Luffy, I can share" 

The generosity and kindness of the Doctor never ceased to amaze Sanji. Since he was so willing to share he wouldn't even bother fighting it. 

After the ladies had entered, his eyes met the Swordsman's, he looked away from his gaze immediately and turned away to serve his friends. 

In no time everyone was tucking into their hearty breakfast, with clear enjoyment on their faces. "Sanji-kun, this is so delicious" Nami praised

"Anything for you, my lady", at these words he could see the Swordsman rolling his eyes. Usually, he would have thrown an insult at him, but after today's discovery, he didn't feel like it. 

Although Luffy had shared Chopper's pancakes, he was still reaching to grab food from the other crew members. There was no use trying to stop him though, he was like a wild animal when it came to mealtime. 

"That was soooo good Sanji, now I'm ready for our next adventure! Nami, where are we going?" the captain grinned. 

"We should reach our destination in about 6 hours, it will take about four days for the Log Pose to set for the next island so we could spend a few nights onshore" 

"Wohoo, I can't wait!" 

* * *

A few hours later Zoro had just woken from his morning nap and was feeling thirsty. It was a beautiful day but the heat had caused his training to leave him a little more dehydrated than usual.

"Oi, cook. I'm thirsty" he had expected him to complain or insult him but instead he just threw the bottle at him and turned away immediately. It was weird, but it was undoubtedly easier this way. 

Zoro grinned with his bottle and left the kitchen, confused but happy. 

Leaning against the rail of the ship, Zoro saw the island they were heading to. It was a fairly small island with lush vegetation, one small city and a beautiful beach surrounding the area. 

Nami gave everyone their jobs to make the arrival as smooth as possible, then they anchored down in an alcove, out of sight. 

"Ok here is what's going to happen" the Navigator exclaimed.

"Zoro you stay with Franky to restock the cola... don't get lost"

"I never get lost" Zoro frowned.

Ignoring the comment Nami continued "Sanji you take Usopp to refill the pantry and Brook, Luffy go with Chopper to look for any herbs he may need. Robin and I will go and exchange some of the treasure we have for Belly. Is everyone clear?" 

"I can't wait for this new adventure" their captain was smiling with his hands on his hips before jumping onto the beach. 

All of the crew nodded in response to the Navigator and left the ship.


	3. Confrontation

Sanji was in his element. 

There were stalls upon stalls of fresh fruit, vegetables and meat. He and Usopp had been shopping for about two hours and had collected plenty for the next few weeks.  One of the last stalls in the market was run by a beautiful blonde who had made a few samples of Takoyaki for the passing customers.

"Good afternoon beautiful lady," Sanji said, kissing the woman's hand "May I enquire about your goods?"

The woman blushed and looked up at the cook "I Uh... we have some fresh octopus caught this morning and I uh... made some Takoyaki samples" she passed one of her creations to him on a little stick, Sanji bit into it, hearts replacing his eyes. 

"This is almost as beautiful as you, my lady. I'll take everything you have!" 

"Sanji, come on, we need to get to the Inn Nami has booked," said Usopp, trying to hurry him. 

Sanji continued with his transaction and then bowed to the lady "Until next time, beautiful" departing reluctantly. 

Usopp and Sanji arrived at the inn. Nami was sitting in the garden with Robin, both ladies had a drink in hand. 

"Usopp! Sanji-kun, you're back!" Nami cheered.

"I had to practically drag him back, he was distracted by yet another girl" the sniper chuckled. 

"I appreciate beauty and worship all women, that is all" Sanji stated, putting his hand over his heart. 

"Yeah, yeah" 

The boys walked inside to order drinks, then returned to the girls shortly after.

Sanji was having a great time in wonderful company, the navigator and archaeologist always had such interesting things to say, passing time with them was one of his favourite activities. 

A few minutes later they saw Franky running down the pathway leading to the inn. 

“I’m so sorry Nami, I lost Zoro. We found a gadget store and I lost track of time talking to the owner. He must have gotten bored and wandered off, I looked everywhere for him” Franky explained frantically. 

“The Marimo head has either fallen asleep under a tree or found the closest place that sells alcohol” Sanji scoffed. 

“It’s ok Franky, don’t blame yourself for Zoro’s lack of directional knowledge” Nami smiled at him. 

“Nami-san, I volunteer to go look for the fool, you stay here and continue to enjoy the drinks and weather” Sanji stood up and grabbed his jacket.

“Thank you so much Sanji-kun, I’ll make sure to order a bottle of their nicest wine when you are back” 

Sanji lit a smoke and walked away from his friends. 

The night air was still warm and the smell of grass and flowers gave off a fragrant atmosphere. The buildings were made of a grey ash stone, with bright coloured doors. 

Looking around, Sanji could see there were a lot of couples sitting outside at the bars, enjoying the evening. There was one couple wrapped up in conversation, looking deeply into each other's eyes with clear admiration for each other. Sanji sighed, envying them. He would love to have somebody he could devote himself to, someone he could show endless amounts of love and care. 

No point daydreaming. 

Since there were many bars and inns in the city, finding Zoro proved to be quite the challenge. Sanji walked into six of them before he found the correct one. 

Zoro was sitting in the corner of a fairly empty bar. He had fallen asleep holding his bottle, Sanji almost felt sorry for him that he had this skill to nap anywhere he pleased. He kicked Zoro’s foot and startled him awake. 

“What the hell are you doing, Curly?” 

“You got lost again, and our dear navigator sent me looking for you” 

“I didn’t get lost” frowned Zoro.

“Oh yeah? Then why are you here and not at the inn” 

Defeated, Zoro stood up and walked to the exit, with Sanji right behind him. 

Their trip back to the inn was made in silence, but this suited both of them. Sanji certainly didn’t want to converse with him after what he had seen that morning. Actually, he didn’t want to ever remember that, but unfortunately, it was seared into his brain.

When they arrived, Sanji returned to his seat next to Nami. She had kept her promise and  bought a bottle of the Inn’s best wine. It was a delicious Merlot, made from grapes grown on Dressrosa, an island in the New World. 

He took a glass and poured himself a generous portion, it warmed up his cheeks and eventually, his vision started to blur as he continued to drink.

Luffy, Chopper and Brook had also finally returned, and the real party had begun. 

Everyone, apart from Luffy and Chopper, was tipsy and having some much-needed fun. 

Luffy was up on the tables dancing and making funny faces with chopsticks, which had everyone laughing until their stomachs hurt. 

Sanji was so grateful to be back with his friends, he missed this. 

As the night quieted down, Nami and Robin had excused themselves and gone to bed.

Luffy and Usopp had fallen asleep at one of the tables. 

The others were sat a distance away, deep in conversation regarding how they could improve The Sunny with some machinery Franky had discovered. 

Sanji sipped on another glass of wine and enjoyed the serene moment that was to be had at the end of an evening. 

“Oi, cook,” Zoro said sitting next to Sanji “Gimme a glass of that” 

Sanji rolled his eyes and threw it at him. Instead of pouring a glass, Zoro drank from the bottle, disgusting him. 

“Cook, you’ve been acting weird today. You haven’t snapped at me or called me any shitty names. You didn’t even take the bait when I provoked you” 

“What’s that supposed to mean, Marimo-head? Nothing’s wrong” Sanji quietly responded, looking anywhere that wasn’t directly at Zoro.

“I don’t believe you, idiot” Zoro started getting frustrated. It was bothering him how Sanji wouldn’t fight back, it was like he had become immune to his insults. 

“Just leave me alone” 

Zoro stood up and left towards the building. 

Sanji was relieved he had just left it, he didn’t want to have to explain to him why he was acting strange. 

A few minutes later, however, Zoro returned with a bottle of sake and two cups. 

“Here, drink” he poured some for Sanji and then filled his own cup “I know we mostly fight, but we are Nakama and if something is bothering you then uh… then I guess I’m here to listen” 

Sanji stared at him stunned. Since when did the swordsman ever do anything that wasn’t either an insult or an attack towards him? How much had their two years apart changed him?

“Uh, thanks... I guess” Sanji took his drink and emptied the cup in a few seconds, calming his nerves.

Zoro refilled it for him as soon as he put the cup down. Why was he being so polite? 

“So, are you gonna tell me what’s gotten into you?” 

Well, I guess there was no avoiding it. He had to tell him what he had seen, or he would never be able to look him in the eye again. As much as it pains him to admit, their daily fights were worth keeping. 

“Fine. I’ll tell you, but promise you won’t freak out” 

“What, why would I freak out?” 

“Just promise” Sanji interrupted.

“Fine, I promise” Zoro replied impatiently. 

With a big sigh, Sanji turned his head away from Zoro and began describing what he had seen “This morning, I woke up and wanted to go for a shower. I saw that your swords were in the bathroom but I still stupidly looked inside… and I saw”.

“Saw what, cook?” 

“I saw you naked and doing… s-stuff” Sanji stuttered. 

“That’s what’s been bothering you? Seriously!?” 

Zoro had to laugh, it was hilarious that the cook let something so trivial affect him so much. He was so concerned with preserving his image as a ladies man, that seeing him naked had gotten to him. 

“Yes, never in my life did I want to see a man doing THAT, especially not you” Sanji turned to look at Zoro, who was smirking. 

“Well, we have a predicament here, cook” he grinned 

“Why is that?” 

“Well, we’re not even. You have seen me in a personal and embarrassing situation. It’s only fair if you do something similar”

“Wait, what on earth are you suggesting?” Sanji nervously asked. 

“I’m just suggesting we find a way to get even, so you stop acting weird” 

“I’m not doing ANYTHING like that around you, so get that ridiculous notion out of your stupid Marimo-head” Sanji glared at Zoro, then stood up to take his leave. 

He stomped away from the swordsman in a huff, how dare he suggest something so revolting. How did this not bother Zoro as much as it did him? Why was he not freaked out at what he had seen? 

Sanji entered the room he was sharing with Luffy and Usopp. He walked to the balcony and lit a cigarette, and looked out onto the still lit city below him. 

He hated to admit it, but Zoro was right about one thing, he probably wouldn’t be able to stop acting weird around him. He had to do something, but what? Definitely not what the swordsman suggested. 

Sanji finished his cigarette and undressed for the night, he slid into his bed and hoped that sleep would find him before the others returned. 

* * *

  
  


Zoro watched the cook walk away, visibly irritated. 

He chuckled to himself about the situation. Of course, he was slightly embarrassed that Sanji had seen him, but witnessing him so flustered made it all worth it. He was going to have fun with this. 

Zoro picked up the bottle they had left behind and finished it off before heading to bed. Excitement filled his body and he couldn’t wait to tease the cook. 


	4. Exacerbation

The following morning, the crew went down for breakfast. They would always choose Sanji's cooking over anything else, but it was included in the cost. 

Zoro had just finished his bowl of rice and noticed Sanji’s absence. 

“Oi Nami, where is the shitty cook?”

“He didn’t feel too well, so he’s staying in his room today” 

Zoro grunted in response to Nami. Is he seriously letting it bother him this much? He thought he was going to have fun teasing him, but if it was getting to him enough; so much so that he would stay in his room, it probably wasn't a good idea. 

Zoro left the dining table and headed to the room allotted to Sanji, Luffy and Usopp. Once he was there he gave a heavy knock on the door. 

No response. 

“Cook, open the door, I need to talk to you” 

“Go away, idiot” Sanji snapped back.

“Please” Zoro gritted his teeth, hating to act so apologetically to him, but it was essential. 

Suddenly, the door was unlocked and pushed open.

Sanji had walked back to the balcony, allowing him to enter. Zoro crossed the room and faced him. 

“Ok, I’m sorry for what I said last night. We’re even, you don’t need to be embarrassed or avoid me any more, ok?” 

“No, not ok. You were right. I don’t think I can go on until we're truly even” 

Zoro was stunned at his confession, surely he wasn’t accepting his proposal?

“I’m not going to do what you suggested, that’s too much. I thought about it all night and I came up with something equally embarrassing” 

“Like wh-” the swordsman’s words were interrupted as the cook took the cigarette from his lips and placed them on his. Zoro froze, his eyes wide looking at Sanji, who's body was now pressed against him. 

Sanji pulled away, returning the cigarette to his mouth “You can go away now, that was probably the most embarrassing thing I've ever done. I humiliated myself in front of you on purpose, now I don't have to feel bad because of what I witnessed. Now, please inform Nami-san that I will accompany her and Robin" 

“Um… ok” Zoro was too startled to even acknowledge what Sanji had done. He hastily left the room and headed back to where the rest of the crew were. 

“How is Sanji-kun, Zoro? Did you check in on him?” 

“He feels better,” Zoro responded not wanting to look directly at Nami.

“Oh that’s great, I wanted to drag him around the stores with Robin and me today, we need someone to carry the bags. I’ll go and get him now!” 

The crew spent their days in separate groups, depending on what each wanted to do. 

Zoro found a small bar and spent his afternoon drinking and gambling with the locals. He had to keep himself occupied as he was struggling to take his mind off what had happened. 

Sanji escorted Nami and Robin around the stores, well he was their mule. Sanji didn't mind though, he loved the precious opportunity to go shopping with the girls. He knew exactly what suited them and which colours praise their complections perfectly.

“Nami-san, you have to try on this gorgeous dress” Sanji passed her a beautiful red lace gown, it had slits down one side and a satin sash around the middle. 

“Oh, Sanji-kun this is beautiful. When would I ever have a chance to wear this though? We’re always at sea” Nami looked at the dress regretfully.

Sanji put his thumb and forefinger under his chin, standing silent for a few moments. Suddenly, an idea sprung to his head. 

“I know! Let’s throw ourselves an elegant ball onboard The Sunny. Brook can provide the music for the evening, and I'm sure Usopp and Franky can figure a way for us to have a spectacular atmosphere with lights and sparkle. Of course, I would serve delicious entrée’s” the cook beamed at this idea. 

“That is a wonderful plan, Cook-san. What do you think, Nami?” Robin was also listening to this idea from another aisle. 

“I think it sounds enchanting!”

“Then it’s settled!” Sanji spun around the ladies. 

After they had agreed on the plan, Nami tried on the red dress and decided to purchase it. 

Sanji had also picked out a deep purple satin gown for Robin, and his eyes lit up at the beauty she conveyed when she walked out of the changing room. 

The three friends left the clothing store full of optimism and inspiration. 

* * *

When they returned to the inn, Sanji departed to his room to take a shower after their fulfilling day. 

All thoughts of the stupid swordsman had left him and he was finally able to relax again. That was until he saw him when he returned downstairs, to join the others for their evening feast. 

It was like their roles had reversed, Zoro wouldn’t look at him or even recognise he was there. Sanji had thought his actions would have fixed things and they could return to normal, but clearly, he had been wrong. 

He had to do something about this. 

“Zoro, can we talk?” Sanji looked around at his crewmates enjoying themselves... “in private” 

The swordsman nodded and stood up to follow him.

They walked approximately ten minutes to a serene and peaceful park in the city. It was especially beautiful, stone paths were lined with Sakura trees and elegant benches were placed across the way. 

Sanji sat at one of the seats and motioned for the Marimo to follow him. 

“So, I’m assuming what I did this morning made things worse” 

Zoro didn’t answer, he just sat in silence grasping his swords, staring at the floor. 

“Look, I’m sorry. I just thought it wouldn’t you bother as much as it did. You know how embarrassing it was for me to do that”

Zoro glanced up at Sanji “Fine, I can forget it and we can move on. Why did we have to come all this way for you to tell me that” 

Zoro could barely look Sanji in the eye. He didn’t want to tell him what was troubling him, because he knew for certain it would make things even worse. If that was possible. 

“No, you need to talk to me about it. Us trying to get even with each other is what caused this ridiculous mess” Sanji was losing patience. 

“You looking places you shouldn’t be is what cause this mess” Zoro yelled back at the cook

“That’s more like it” Sanji grinned “Show me aggression, be annoyed at me. It pains me to say it, but I hate it when we’re not fighting” 

Zoro groaned “Can we just drop it now” 

Sanji wasn’t satisfied that everything was ok, but Zoro was so headstrong he couldn’t do anything else to change his mind. 

* * *

Zoro stood up and marched away from the cook. He wanted to return to the inn as soon as possible and get away from this discussion. 

“You’re going the wrong way” 

The cook took his arm and pushed him the right way. Why did he have to be such an overbearing bastard sometimes? 

They both walked back in silence, Zoro’s head was full of thoughts he didn’t want to reveal to Sanji. That stupid kiss had awakened desires in him that he had never discussed with anybody in his crew.

Through practised meditation, Zoro had succeeded in repressing many of his physical desires. Of course, now and then he let himself have some release, either by himself or with a partner. What he hadn’t told his crew was where his tastes lay. 

He hadn't mentioned it, since he was sure the cook would react in the way he usually does. Sanji probably wouldn’t want to fight him again in fear of getting too close to him. 

Zoro laughed to himself though, the cook certainly didn’t know how attractive he could be. Zoro had never wanted to have these thoughts about Sanji. The kiss had aroused an attraction he imagined he would never experience with his Nakama. 

He knew this was going to consume him if he didn't find a way to forget and move past it. The future greatest swordsman can't be bothered by such insignificant things. He couldn’t afford to think of how soft Sanji's lips had felt and the heat that had spread from them. 

Zoro had been intimate before, but it was purely sex and kissing wasn’t something he had done with anybody. That was why he was so mad at the cook. He had stolen that choice from him.

He stopped in his tracks.

“What the hell idiot, I almost bumped into you” the cook shoved him away

“Curly-brow, I'm angry at you. You stole something from me when you kissed me. You might have thought it wouldn’t have bothered me, but it did” Zoro admitted to Sanji.

Sanji suddenly understood precisely what he had suggested. 

“You mean, you never kissed anyone before?” 

“No, I haven’t. Kissing is romantic, I’m not romantic” 

“Well obviously you’re not” Sanji rolled his eyes 

Was he making fun of him after he just admitted something so personal?

“You could at least ACT like you’re sorry” Zoro growled. 

“I just don’t understand you, you say you’re not romantic so you never kissed anyone before. Then why are you so bothered?” 

“I would have preferred making that choice myself, you know?” 

“Ok, ok, I apologise. But I don’t regret it. I did what I thought was best for the absurd position we were in” 

He could see the cook was looking flushed. Had talking about the kiss embarrassed him again? It wasn’t even that great of a kiss, not even memorable. 

An idea came to him, he wasn’t going to allow his first kiss to be that pathetic.

He grabbed the cook by the back of his head and pressed his lips onto his, he could feel Sanji freeze, but after a few moments, he sunk into the kiss.

To his surprise, he felt Sanji’s hands rest on his back. This caused a reaction Zoro had not anticipated, he pressed himself harder toward Sanji until he came to his senses and freed himself from the cook's lips. 

They were both breathing heavily, staring intensely at each other. Zoro was amazed that he hadn’t pushed or kicked him away. 

Sanji abruptly turned and walked back towards the park without a word. He let him go, he probably required some time to himself after this. 

They had inadvertently made their relationship far more complex than it needed to be and things would never be the same. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoyed this chapter, I hope you do too!


	5. Denial

Sanji was trembling. 

He was sitting alone smoking in the park they had just left, his hands shaking. 

Why on earth did the Marimo have to do something like that? When Sanji had done it, his intentions were just to get even, he hadn’t known what the consequences would be. 

Sanji took a drag on his cigarette. This island was so beautiful and he hoped he could enjoy it to its fullest, but everything happening with the Marimo was just too stressful. He felt regret at the decision he had taken this morning, he realised now it didn’t help at all and he doesn’t know why he did it. Why did he do it? 

The worst part was the fact that he didn’t mind the kiss that Zoro had surprised him with. He didn’t pull away, in fact, he leaned into it. Was there some strange kind of attraction there, possibly something caused by their constant bickering and fighting? No, that can’t be it. 

Sanji put his fingers to his lips, remembering the kiss. He felt something unfamiliar in the pit of his stomach just thinking about it. He had expected the Marimo would feel rough and taste of steel, but his kiss was delicate and sweet.

"Snap out of it, Sanji" the cook threw his cigarette away and pushed himself off the bench. He either needed a drink or a fight, and since Zoro would probably be involved with the fighting, a drink sounded more appealing. 

He walked back into town and found a bustling establishment, it was a live music and tapas bar. The atmosphere was electric, people were dancing, socialising and having a magnificent time. His mood was instantly lifted. 

“I’ll take a glass of your finest red wine” Sanji motioned to the bartender whilst he sat on one of the stools. 

The bartender quickly poured his glass and Sanji handed him the money with a smile. He was already feeling better, being around happy and joyful people always improved his spirits. That was one of the reasons he loved to cook, to see the smile on the faces of the people he served. Nothing could surpass that feeling. 

“What are you grinning at, handsome?” Sanji heard a female voice from the opposite side of the bar. It belonged to one of the most dazzling creatures he had seen.

“I must have known that you would be here” Sanji smiled at the woman and stood up, moving closer.

“Wow, what a charmer you are” she giggled.

Sanji spent the next few hours drinking and chatting with the woman. It turns out her name was Lila and she owned a patisserie in the city centre. He felt it was fate to meet this woman on such a day. 

Later into the evening, the pair found a quieter booth where they could chat. Throughout the night they had moved closer to one another with each passing hour. 

“Sanji-kun, I've had the most amazing night. I never want it to end” 

“Me too Lila-san, this was one of the worst days I've had and you saved it for me” Sanji clutched the woman’s hands in his. 

Lila leaned forward and kissed him timidly, Sanji pushed back on her kiss but something was wrong. There was no spark. 

This kiss was a small flame compared to the one he had shared with Zoro earlier. This thought infuriated Sanji, he was holding a beautiful woman in his arms sharing a sweet kiss with her. Why wasn’t his heart on fire right now? 

Sanji pulled back to look at the woman, she was visibly flustered with a dreamy look on her face. 

“I’m sorry my dear, Lila. I must leave now” 

“Did I do something wrong?” she said, clearly disappointed.

“Of course not, you are an intelligent, strong and thoughtful woman. I can tell that. I just have something going on right now that is affecting my judgement and I can’t stop thinking about it” 

Lila held Sanji’s hands in hers and stared into his gloomy eyes “Tell me about it. I feel like I already have a strong connection to you and I want to help if I can” 

“I’m concerned you may judge me, Lila-san” 

“Of course I won’t” 

Exhaling, Sanji began to explain the situation to Lila. She looked at him with understanding eyes and nodded in response to his story. He even told her about his experiences in the two years he was away from his crew. Sanji confessed to her that Zoro wasn’t the first man he had kissed, he hated that he could feel attracted to someone like this. It wasn’t like he was drawn to all men, it was just that he felt a pull to strong-willed people. He hadn’t even realised he was interested in Zoro until he had kissed him after their conversation in the park. 

“Oh my poor dear” Lila looked at the cook with sympathy, “I think you are rejecting who you are” 

“No, I just KNOW this isn’t me. I am Sanji, a well-known ladies man and the most charming gentleman of the sea. This isn’t me” Sanji put his head in his left hand, the other still in Lila’s. 

“Sanji, maybe you don’t know yourself as well as you think you do. You seem to be retaining an image of what you think you need to be” 

Sanji lifted his head looking at the woman, his eyes beseeching her to just tell him everything is ok, that it’s not who he is. But she didn’t, instead, she tore into his very subconscious and left him bare. 

“I think you may need to explore these new feelings you have. That way, you can see if there is a part of you that you’ve been hiding. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, Sanji” Lila chuckled and let go of his hands “Come on, let’s go. You’re going to go back to your friends and you’re going to ask that handsome man to talk, okay?” 

“Ok, Lila-san. I’m very thankful that I met you” 

“As am I, Sanji-kun” Lila slipped a piece of paper into his hands and left him at the entrance of the bar. Sanji unfolded the paper, it was her name with the digits to her Den Den Mushi. He had made a great friend tonight and he would never forget her. 

Sanji tucked the paper into the pocket of his trousers and pulled out his packet of cigarettes. Lighting one, he slowly walked back to the inn to face the swordsman. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short, but important chapter. Lila plays a vital part as, for me, Sanji respects and values the opinions of women over his own. So it makes sense that it is a woman, that points out the obvious to him. Hope you enjoyed it!


	6. Acceptance

Nami ran to Sanji from the garden of the inn as soon as he was in view. 

“Sanji-kun, where have you been? We were all so worried about you” she pouted at him.

“I’m sorry, Nami-san. I met an astonishing new friend and the time caught up with me” he apologised to the navigator. 

“Ok, just make sure to call next time so we know you haven’t been killed, or worse, captured” 

Sanji nodded in approval “Oh, I wanted to ask. Where is the Marimo?” 

“He went to his room with a bottle of Sake a few hours ago. He seemed even more irritable than usual”. 

Sanji thanked her for the information. The others were drinking and laughing, as usual. He hastily downed a glass of wine and headed inside. 

He made it to the room Zoro was sharing with Franky, Brook and Chopper. Pausing just outside, he stared at the door for a few moments. Was he going to go through with this, or was it going to make things more unpleasant than they already were? 

His heart was racing and as he was about to knock, Zoro opened the door, nearly walking into him. Zoro stared at Sanji, clearly confused that he was there. This was it.

Sanji seized Zoro by his collar and drove his mouth onto the stunned swordsman's. His hands had found their way around him, caressing his muscular neck. Zoro let out a deep growl and dragged the cook into the room, slamming the door behind them. Their lips separated for a fleeting moment and their eyes locked, each could feel the pure desire they had. 

Zoro closed the distance separating them, his hands reaching around Sanji’s back. Their tongues began to dance behind their lips, and Zoro thrust his body against him, causing Sanji to let out a faint moan. Zoro’s hips were still attached to his and he began to remove the Marimo's clothing when the door handle began to strain.

Fortunately, Zoro had driven him against the door amid their passion. Zoro moved his mouth to Sanji’s ear and murmured, “we continue this later” he nuzzled into Sanji’s nape and forced himself away. Sanji crossed the room to sit in one of the armchairs and they both strived to look casual as Brook and Franky entered the room. 

“Yohohoho, I thought we were locked out. I’m so tired my eyes are beginning to close on their own… although I have no eyes yohohoho” the musician never neglected to incorporate that joke whenever he could.

“What a suuuuper fun night. We missed you both out there” 

“Apologies, I was engaged with a dear friend. I’ll head to bed myself, I have a perfect day planned to organise the food we purchased. While I'm on the Sunny, I'll prepare your favourite snacks, my treat” Sanji smiled softly at the men who had just joined them. 

He left the room sensing Zoro’s eyes piercing his back. Although his head was still full of uncertainty, he felt better. A newfound excitement was rising in him and he was looking forward to exploring it further. Lila’s words kept repeating in his head ‘It’s nothing to be ashamed of, Sanji’, she was right. 

Sanji entered his room, discovering Usopp and Luffy fast asleep, although the latter hadn’t even made it to his bed. He lit a cigarette and strolled to the balcony, savouring the few moments of silence. Even though he was anticipating the fun that could be had in this unforeseen situation, he was still fearful of the unfamiliar. He was also somewhat embarrassed that his reputation with the ladies would be tarnished, but only if they found out.

It was also at this instant that he was glad for the experiences he had attained in his two years away, though most of it was spent sharpening his combat abilities. Sanji had felt his soul become free when he was on Momoiro Island. Nobody judged him and he didn’t feel like he had to maintain an image of himself. It was exhilarating. 

This situation with Zoro made him feel something comparable, essentially like a spark had reignited the same sensation of liberation. He would still have to be cautious and he wasn't truly sure how far he could take this.

Sanji extinguished his cigarette and headed to bed. He was ready to face whatever the new day held in store for him. 

* * *

Sanji rose bright and early, travelling out to the Sunny before his friends were awake. 

He was eager to get back to his kitchen. Even though it had only been a few days, he missed it. 

Reaching the alcove where they had left the Sunny, a smile brightened his face. He could never get tired of her and the memories he had while onboard. It was home. 

Heading straight for the kitchen, he began arranging the produce they had bought yesterday. Usopp had carried it back when he went searching for Zoro, and he had left it in a disordered mess. 

It troubled him to know his kitchen was in disarray so he got to work immediately, spending around three hours making certain everything was spotless. When he was satisfied with his work, he started making the snacks he had promised his crew. 

He was melting syrup for Chopper’s candy apples when he heard a knock on the door, accompanied by the figure of the swordsman. 

“Uh, hi. Can I come in?” Zoro asked with an uncomfortable smile.

Since when did the Marimo develop manners? 

“Sure, but don’t interrupt me while I’m working” Sanji pointed his knife at Zoro.

“Ok, I’ll just watch” 

Sanji glared at Zoro with mistrust. 

Shrugging his shoulders, he relaxed again and proceeded with the candy apples.

Sanji had already prepared the apple base, six were laid out on a tray with sticks protruding from each. He monitored the temperature of the syrup, and once it had reached the suitable heat, he combined a few drops of natural food colouring then switched off the stove. 

Carefully, he dipped each apple into the mixture and set them back onto the tray. Beaming with satisfaction at his work, he hung up his apron and moved over to where Zoro sat. He hadn't noticed that the swordsman’s gaze hadn’t left him the whole time. 

“So, Marimo. What do you want?” Sanji lit a cigarette and sat next to him. 

“To be honest, I don’t know why I came” 

“Well, I’m pretty busy, so unless you remember you’re just consuming my time” Sanji stood, but felt a hand clutching his wrist, urging him to sit back down. 

“Listen. I’m really confused about what’s happening and I’m not very skilled with words” 

Sanji was surprised by his honesty. 

“I am too, Zoro” he had felt the need to use his name for this conversation. 

Zoro was taken aback by this and they both remained in silence for a few minutes, at a loss for words. 

* * *

For Zoro, the use of his name had revealed a closeness between them that he was not anticipating. He didn’t know how to react to it. All he knew is he needed to take the cook’s head in his hands and kiss him fiercely. 

Their encounter the night prior had left him full of longing for him. It was unusual to feel this way about him in particular, but it was a welcome feeling.

Sanji was the one to break the silence. 

“Ok, Marimo. When you kissed me the other day, it felt pretty good and I wanna do it again. I assume you know how ridiculous this is for me to confess” Sanji scoffed.

“You don’t think it’s ridiculous for me too?” 

“Well, I don’t know what you’re into. You know I adore women and I'm a serious ladies man” he exclaimed proudly. 

Zoro threw a quizzical glance at him, suppressing a laugh. He had to admit, the cook was extremely charismatic. 

“Ok fine, when we were separated, I had some involvement with another man. Yes, we kissed. No, we didn’t do anything else. Not like I know much about that either” Sanji’s cheeks began to flush at that image. 

Zoro gave an understanding nod. He didn’t want to show him how surprised he was at this new knowledge. 

“So, what about you, Marimo?” 

“What about me?” 

“Do you have ANY experience at all? Or are you just accustomed to pleasuring yourself in the tub?” he smirked cockily.

“I’ve had… sexual partners. I guess that’s what you could call it” he awkwardly replied. 

“Men, women? Come on you have to give me more than that” Sanji was close to losing his patience. 

“Men” 

“Huh” Sanji acknowledged his answer and put out his cigarette “I never would've guessed”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“I simply didn’t expect you to have any sort of sexual appetite” 

Zoro tried to respond to this but he couldn’t think of anything to say. He was singularly dedicated to his goal of becoming the greatest swordsman, so it wasn’t unexpected that his crewmate didn’t know the other sides of his character. Zoro never opened up to anybody. 

“Well, I do” he finally responded.

“You certainly are a man of many words” 

“I told you I’m no good at talking” 

Zoro was beginning to feel frustrated at not being able to express himself when Sanji planted a delicate kiss on his lips. The sensation was different from the one yesterday, not as urgent but still full of passion. He found it strange and intimate, but pleasant to experience. 

“Was that a good start?” Sanji’s cheeks had turned a shade of pink.

Zoro nodded at him. 

“Good. I don’t have time for this anyway. I need to get these snacks finished and back to the crew”

Zoro continued to spectate as Sanji pirouetted around his kitchen. Once he had finished, he placed the snacks into singular boxes, Nami and Robin’s wrapped with ribbons. 

He assisted the cook in stacking them into the boxes and placed them in a basket, volunteering to carry them. They left the Sunny and walked to the inn, the sun just dropping over the horizon.

The evening was sure to be a beautiful one. 

* * *

When the pair made it back to the inn, their friends were, yet again, drinking outside in the garden. Since they had missed out on last night’s party, they decided to join them. 

Luffy hopped up onto the table “Ok guys, now that everyone is here, let’s play Oni Gokko!” the rest of the crew groaned. 

The game was one of their captain's favourites, but it was usually played by children. Since they all loved Luffy they played along. Although Chopper, who also shared the same child-like enthusiasm as their Captain, was jumping up and down with excitement. 

“Ok, I’ll start as the Oni” Luffy chuckled “You all better hide now!” he put his palms over his eyes and waited for them to scatter, counting to ten.

Each member split up across the garden and surrounding area. 

Usopp ran and ducked under a table, Nami behind a door, Robin slid behind an archway, Chopper lurked in a bush, Sanji behind a tree, Zoro didn’t try to hide so he just stood around the edge of the inn and Franky tried his hardest to hide behind a tree; but his large stature made it very challenging. 

“Are you ready!?” Luffy called out. 

“Ready!” his crew responded. 

Luffy opened his eyes and giddily hunted for his first victim.

“Hehe the Oni is going to get you!” he began by flattening himself on the ground. He instantly saw Usopp, hurried towards him and patted him on the shoulder “You’re it!” 

Usopp groaned and stood up, peering around the garden. He rounded the corner and saw Zoro sinking against the wall.

“Your turn, Zoro!” Usopp laughed at the swordsman

“Ugh” 

Zoro didn’t want to play any games, he just wanted to drink and spend time with his friends. He stomped around to the back of the inn and could see Sanji was crouched behind a tree, watching in the other direction. He had an idea. 

He approached the tree silently, sneaking behind others on his way. When he was closer, he dropped to his knees and began crawling slowly towards the cook. Sanji was still looking the other way and hadn’t noticed him yet. 

When he was just behind him, Zoro placed his hand softly on his shoulder, prompting Sanji to turn towards him and that’s when Zoro unexpectedly pushed his lips onto the cooks. Sanji shifted his body so it was facing Zoro and pulled him closer to him. 

Zoro withdrew from their kiss “You’re it, cook” he bit his lip and walked away, leaving Sanji stunned behind him. 

* * *

Sanji sagged against the tree watching the swordsman leave, short of breath. 

A mere kiss was not supposed to render someone incapable of movement, but somehow it had. Each kiss he had shared with Zoro up until now had sent shivers down his spine and he wanted more. 

What were the swordsman's intentions with him? Where are they going to do this? It’s not like the Sunny had many private areas. Also, how far was Sanji prepared to go with this? The idea of anything more than kissing terrified him, especially with another man. He hadn’t even gone further than kissing with the women he had become close to.

Sanji didn’t know whether to be excited or scared, but he did know he couldn’t do this alone. Zoro would need to be open and honest about everything if he was to trust him. 

Finally finding the strength to stand, he wandered to the front of the inn and resumed Luffy’s game.

After about an hour, the sun had completely set and they returned to their chairs in the garden. Sanji fetched everyone drinks and presented them with their snacks. 

Chopper was elated at the sight of the candy apples, he savoured each bite and was thankful that the cook knew exactly what he loved. 

Compared to the last few days, this one had been a delight. His mind felt less turbulent and the hours spent in his kitchen had helped refocus him. He just didn’t know how to advance with the swordsman now.

It was remarkable how brave the Marimo had been this afternoon and it had left a lasting impression on Sanji. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about that kiss all night. 

A few hours passed with drink and laughter and, as usual, Luffy had passed out on the floor. Chopper was resting his head on the Captain’s stomach and the others had left for their rooms. 

All that remained in the garden was Zoro and Sanji. 

Sanji looked over at the swordsman, he was leaning against a tree with a bottle in his hand, eyes closed. 

“Hey Marimo, are you sleeping?” Sanji shouted over to him.

Zoro opened his eye and replied with a grunt “No”

Ah, he was back to speaking one-word sentences. 

Sanji stood up and sat directly in front of Zoro, holding out his hand. 

“Can I take a sip?” the cook questioned. 

Zoro handed him the bottle and watched as Sanji wrapped his lips around it, taking a big sip.

“You don’t need to put your entire mouth around it, you know” Zoro snickered. 

“Oh,” Sanji quickly pulled the bottle away from his mouth, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. He was embarrassed and turning slightly red. 

Zoro looked at him and started laughing, but Sanji didn’t join him.

“Why are you laughing at me?” 

“Oh nothing, it's just we’ve never really spent time together like this. We’re usually fighting or competing over who’s better, so it’s funny seeing you do something embarrassing” Zoro smirked at him. 

Sanji smiled shyly back at him, his heart racing seeing the swordsman smile naturally. Usually, he looked horrendous when he was ‘trying’ to smile, but his natural grin sent butterflies to his stomach. 

He was starting to feel vulnerable in front of the swordsman, he couldn’t bring himself to pull up his gaze to meet his eyes again.

Suddenly, Sanji felt Zoro’s hand lifting his chin to face him. His heart felt like it was going to stop. 

“Sanji, can I kiss you again?” 

He let out a deep breath and threw himself onto Zoro, attacking his lips. Zoro’s hands had moved around to the back of his neck pulling him tight, they were still sitting in front of each other and Sanji wanted to be closer. 

Without leaving Zoro’s lips he lifted himself to sit on his lap, putting both of his hands onto the swordsman’s shoulders. Zoro lowered his hands down Sanji’s back and pulled him close. He wasn’t used to being touched this way and he relished the feeling. 

Sanji could feel himself getting aroused and pushed his hips closer to Zoro’s, and it was evident he was feeling the same way. 

Zoro pulled back from their kiss “We can’t do this out here. Someone could walk out at any moment” he whispered. 

Sanji rested his head against the swordsman’s, slightly out of breath “You’re right. I was thinking of this earlier too, how are we going to do anything without being caught?” 

“We have two more days on this island, then we set sail again. How about we meet tomorrow on the Sunny?” 

“What if someone comes back?” 

“They won’t” 

Zoro was desperate to move this forward past a few stolen kisses now and then. 

“Ok, tomorrow. I’ll meet you on the Sunny at sunset” 

“That’s a deal” Zoro placed one last kiss on his lips and forced himself to pull away. 

They walked back together to their rooms and shared another embrace in the corridor before leaving.

Sanji was restless for most of the night, anticipating the next day. Eventually, sleep overcame him, sending him to the land of dreams. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I put a little reference somewhere in this chapter! Hope you can find it!


	7. Dinner for Two

Sanji woke early again and went directly to Sunny.

Since the evening before, he couldn’t stop thinking about Zoro, he had to refocus himself and his kitchen was the only place he could do that. 

Sanji was fretting about the evening ahead of them, they would be alone together for the first time and it terrified him. He didn’t know precisely how far he could go with the swordsman. He had no experience in this, all he knew was he felt a strong fascination to him that he couldn’t explain. This whole situation started because he had been disgusted by catching him during a private act. At least, he had thought he was disgusted. 

He had been attracted to women most of his life, but he couldn’t deny anymore that sometimes the sight of a good-looking, strong man excited him. It was a relief to finally be able to admit this to himself and it wouldn’t have been possible without his new friend, Lila. 

An idea came to Sanji. He would make the evening less uncomfortable with a dinner for two, this would also keep him occupied in the hours leading up to the evening. 

He began to prepare Onigiri for Zoro. Usually, he added no filling, but tonight he would incorporate some of the Sea King meat they still had. He wanted to make something Zoro would love. 

Hours passed on The Sunny while Sanji worked away in his kitchen, he had accidentally prepared a feast for the two of them and they would have leftovers for the rest of the crew. Most of it could be preserved for the next day, so nothing would go to waste. 

It was about forty-five minutes before sunset and Sanji had nothing left to do. His day cooking had left him slightly sweaty, however, so he spent a good thirty minutes washing in the bathroom.

He walked to the boy’s room in just a towel, opened his locker and stared at the clothes inside. He settled on one of his favourite white shirts, accompanied by his black waistcoat and trousers. Once he had dressed, he checked himself over in the mirror and was satisfied. 

He made his way back to the deck of the ship and inhaled deeply, knowing by now the swordsman was probably there already. He built up the nerve to walk out and as he had expected, Zoro was there waiting. 

“Hi” Sanji couldn’t think of anything else to say to him. 

“You call me a man of little words?” Zoro laughed. 

Sanji grinned back at him “I made us dinner”. 

“Oh, I thought we were just coming here for some privacy?” 

“Well, I couldn’t let you have an empty stomach, could I?” Sanji blushed. 

“Of course you couldn't,” Zoro smirked. 

Sanji headed for the kitchen with Zoro at his heels. When they entered the room Zoro’s eyes opened wide. 

“Are we expecting the rest of the crew to join us?” 

“Oh, no, I just went a little overboard. Just sit down” Sanji said, pointing towards the table. 

Zoro complied with his demand and sat at the end of the table where Sanji had laid placemats. He served him a seafood soup to start with, followed by the Onigiri. 

Sanji watched with expectation as Zoro took a bite into the rice balls, he could see his eyes brighten when he discovered the sea king meat.

“Is it good?”

“Yeah” Zoro responded. 

He had wanted him to show a little more enthusiasm at his food, but he knew he wasn’t like that. The fervour with which he ate, was all he needed to know he enjoyed it. 

For dessert, Sanji had created a unique blend of mint and dark chocolate ice cream. The swordsman didn’t particularly like sweet things, but he was hoping this would be a good balance for him. 

“Ok, Marimo. I know you don’t like anything sugary, but I did a bit of an experiment” he sat back down bringing him a small bowl occupied by a scoop of the green ice cream. 

Sanji wanted to try something else risky. He took the spoon to the ice cream and lifted it to the swordsman's lips. Zoro leaned forward and tasted the blend.

“How is it?” Sanji said with concern. 

“It’s pretty good. Give it here” Zoro took the bowl and finished it faster than Sanji had expected. 

“All gone” he grinned at the cook.

This was the moment he had been dreading, the moment they had finished eating and all that was left was to continue exploring whatever was transpiring between them. Zoro began to lean towards Sanji but he stopped him in his tracks.

“Zoro, I'm nervous,” Sanji painfully admitted. 

Zoro sat back in his chair and gazed at him with confusion.

“I don’t expect you to understand, but doing this kind of stuff with a man is confusing for me. I don’t know how far I can go” Sanji admitted.

“It’s ok, we’ll figure it out. Should we go out to the deck?” 

Sanji agreed and they strolled out of the kitchen. Just in case, he had laid out a few blankets on the grass. Zoro was the first to sit down, signalling Sanji to join him. 

Zoro leaned towards him and rested his hand on the cook’s leg “We can take it as slow as you want, but I still need you to know how much I’ve been imagining pressing my body against yours” while he said this, he moved his hand upwards until it was resting on his back. 

Sanji couldn’t speak.

“Have you had similar thoughts, cook?” Zoro questioned while staring into his eyes. 

Sanji nodded. 

“Do you want me to kiss you again?” 

Another nod. 

* * *

This time Zoro answered with his lips against Sanji’s, he kissed the cook softly at first, wanting to be patient with him. Zoro’s hand shifted onto Sanji’s leg again, stroking his lean muscles underneath the fabric. The cook felt and tasted divine, Zoro had wished that some unforeseen situation had brought them closer, sooner. 

Clutching him harder now, he moved his hand onto Sanji’s behind, squeezing it firmly. This caused a whimper to escape the cook’s lips, propelling Zoro out of control. 

He pushed Sanji onto his back, his hand still gripping him. He continued kissing him aggressively, as he pinned him to the ground with his body. Zoro’s hips thrust against Sanji’s, he could feel the cook was as excited as he was, but this only caused him to lose even more control. 

If they would continue this way, Zoro wouldn’t be able to hold back for much longer, the passion and intensity between them sent electricity coursing through his body. He wanted him in every conceivable way. 

Zoro pulled back from their kiss and began to unbutton Sanji’s waistcoat while running his other hand over his stomach. Sanji’s breath sharpened at his touch, watching the swordsman with anticipation. Once the buttons had been released, he proceeded to do the same with his shirt.

Sanji was left panting, on his back, torso bare. Zoro could see he was extremely nervous, but he had to touch him, he had to feel his soft skin. With this thought, Zoro ran his fingers over Sanji’s exposed chest, causing his back to arch slightly. He lowered his lips, leaving soft kisses all the way down to his hips. 

Zoro wanted to feel him, to satisfy him. He lightly moved his hands down to Sanji’s thighs, caressing them as he motioned inwards to his crotch. Zoro grabbed Sanji’s erection through his clothes and resumed the attack on his lips while softly running his hand over the cook’s rigidness. 

He could feel Sanji’s breathing become even more erratic now, maybe he was ready to go further? Zoro moved his kisses from his lips, tracing his chin, then from his neck down to his belly.

Zoro’s hand left it’s former occupation and made its way to Sanji’s belt, unfastening it. Just as he was about to undo the buttons, he jolted up and removed the swordsman’s hands. 

“I’m sorry, I can’t” Sanji was breathless. 

“I thought you were enjoying it?” Zoro asked, slightly bewildered. 

“I was, I am! It’s just, I haven’t even gone this far with a woman, never mind a Marimo” he shyly smiled at Zoro. 

“I understand, come here” Zoro motioned for the cook to rest his head on his chest. 

Sanji lowered his head and Zoro laid his arm around him. He wasn’t used to being so affectionate, but somehow, it felt normal. 

They both lay soundlessly in their embrace, observing the stars, eventually succumbing to sleep.

* * *

Sanji wearily forced opened his eyes, even though it was still dark. He felt a presence behind him, Zoro. The Marimo was still snoring and had wrapped his arms around him during the night. 

“Shit” Sanji hadn’t meant to fall asleep. 

He shrugged away Zoro’s arms and fastened his shirt. He lit a cigarette and leaned over the rail, peering out to sea. 

He had tried to let himself enjoy what Zoro was doing to him, but he couldn’t relax into it, he was too concerned about several things. Does this make him gay now? What would his friends think if they found out and had he always been this way? 

This was just too much for him to handle. 

Sanji picked up one of the blankets and laid it over the sleeping Zoro. He needed to think about this whole thing, he couldn’t give Zoro his body until he was clear in his mind. He left the ship, leaving Zoro sleeping alone. 

* * *

Zoro woke, his eyes straining to open. Reaching out, he felt emptiness beside him, though he had expected a warm body. He forced himself up, noticing a blanket had been set atop him, but still no sign of Sanji. 

“Cook! Are you here?” he sleepily asked. 

No reply. 

Zoro succeeded in lifting himself off the ground and searched the Sunny for the cook, but he was nowhere to be found. Had he seriously left him there sleeping, after they shared such a personal moment? The evening did not turn out the way he had expected. 

He could tell it was still early, as the sun had only just broken across the horizon. It was their last day on the island and Zoro determined he had better head back, in case they have any last jobs. He jumped off the Sunny and began making his way from the beach into the mainland. 

Unfortunately, Zoro had taken many wrong turns and ended up in the market square, when he spotted a small group of marines questioning some locals. Zoro dashed and hid behind a building, trying to get a closer glimpse without being seen. 

“Dammit,” he cursed to himself. 

He got out his Den Den Mushi and dialled Nami’s number, after a few rings she answered. 

“Zoro, where are you? We’ve been searching all over for you and Sanji?” 

“I think I'm in the market square, I've just spotted a group of marines here” he replied. 

“Yes, we know they’re here, that’s why we’ve been trying to find you. You weren’t in your room and you didn’t answer when we called” Nami was gritting her teeth at Zoro. 

“Ok, sorry. What’s the situation then? What do we do?” he inquired. 

“Well, we still have no clue where Sanji is and there may be a Vice-Admiral here. We need to find everyone and head to the Sunny right away, but the Log Pose won’t reset for another hour or so.” 

“Well, it’s not like we have a choice. You guys head to the Sunny now and get ready to leave, I’ll find the cook and bring him back”

“Alright. Good luck” the navigator hung up. 

Once his call with Nami had come to an end, Zoro attempted to dial Sanji’s number but was met with no answer. He sank into the wall and slammed his fist against it in frustration, why hadn’t he just stayed with him? Where could he be? 

He hadn’t gone back to the inn and he wasn’t on the ship, maybe he was at the park where they had been the other day? It was no use though, Zoro knew full well he wouldn’t be able to find his way back to it. His only option was to just wander around and hopefully find him, why did he volunteer for this job so obviously unsuited to him? 

Zoro wandered for about forty minutes, trying to stay hidden, when he came across Sanji relaxing in front of a patisserie, chatting with a woman. Sanji had a coffee in hand and seemed to be very close with the woman. She had her hand on his arm and was leaning in close, speaking into his ear. 

He didn’t enjoy this view and he felt an unfamiliar rage swelling inside of him, but it was no time for that. Zoro stomped over to where the cook was and stood in front of their table. 

“We need to go, now.”

“Go away, Marimo” Sanji coldly answered. 

“Shitty cook, there are Marines here, we need to leave,” Zoro said, trying not to show his annoyance, but failing. 

“Fine. Lila my darling, I am so sorry. It was delightful catching up with you again but I must leave for good this time” Sanji kissed her hands and they both stood embracing one another. 

“If you’re done flirting, we’re in a rush” 

“Thank you for everything, Sanji-kun. Keep in touch” Lila’s eyes were tearing up as she let go of Sanji’s hands, stepping away. 

“You could be more polite to the lady, idiot” Sanji glared at Zoro. 

“You could be more concerned about the Marines” 

Sanji sighed and marched past Zoro, knocking his shoulder. Why was the cook behaving this way? Yesterday he had been treating him like he respected him, now it was like he couldn’t stand the sight of him.

Zoro was about to challenge this when they heard a large commotion behind them. 

Several people ran screaming as a group of Marines came marching towards them, space opened up between the group and a large figure emerged. 

“Oh no, that’s the Vice Admiral Nami warned me about” Zoro exclaimed, clutching his swords.

“Pirate Hunter Zoro and Black Leg Sanji of the Straw Hat pirates. You are under arrest” he bellowed, moving towards them. 

The man had six arms protruding from his hair, each carrying its own saber. 

Sanji and Zoro prepared to fight. Zoro took both of his swords, one in each hand. Since there was only one Vice Admiral, he felt like he didn’t require his third sword. The large man rushed at them, with his unit following behind. 

Zoro yelled, charging towards his enemy. The Vice-Admiral blocked his attack with his eight sabers and attempted to find an opening, but Zoro was too quick and countered with his own block.

Sanji had promptly taken care of the small fry and made his way back to Zoro, desiring to assist with the Vice-Admiral. 

Zoro recognised his enemy would need to be taken more seriously. He unsheathed Wado Ichimonji and set its hilt in his mouth. 

“Hyakuhachi Pound Ho!” Zoro began circular swings, propelling heavy attacks at the Vice-Admiral. This time he couldn’t dodge and was directly hit, throwing him backwards into a nearby building. 

Sanji shot in front of Zoro, attempting to steal the spotlight from the swordsman. 

“Cook, get out of my way. I have this!” he shouted.

“You think I can’t handle it, Marimo-head?” Sanji yelled back. 

“Yes, but you're getting in my way” 

At this point they were butting heads, glaring at each other. 

“What is your problem, shitty cook? It’s like you woke up a different person today!” Zoro questioned. 

“I don’t have a problem, I can defend against this weakling without you, easily!” Sanji had a stubborn look on his face. 

“I already defeated him, idiot. Me, not you.” 

While they had been occupied, they hadn’t noticed the Vice-Admiral had in fact, not been defeated yet. He got up from the hole in the wall he had created with his body and was storming at them head-on. The Vice-Admiral roared and brought down his saber onto Sanji, who tried to evade with a kick in response, but he was too late. 

Sanji’s arm had been slashed and he was furious. Turning red with anger, he channelled this energy into one of his strongest attacks. Sanji launched himself into the air, lifted his leg and brought it down violently onto the Vice Admirals exposed head. 

“Mouton Shot!” he yelled. 

With this, his target was thrown into another building, rubble showering down around him. Zoro walked over to the Vice-Admiral, swords ready to strike. 

“He’s knocked out.” Zoro turned to look back at Sanji, who was now lying motionless on the ground. 

Zoro hurried over, trying to get him to move, but he had lost a lot of blood. The attack the Vice-Admiral had landed on him sliced directly into his right arm. Part of his white shirt had now been fully soaked in blood, Zoro could see through the tear in the fabric that it was a deep wound. 

He saw that the woman Sanji had been chatting with earlier was racing towards them.

“Sanji! Is he hurt?” she threw herself onto the ground next to him. Zoro swallowed his pride and resolved to ask the woman for help.

“I need to get him to our ship’s doctor as soon as possible, but…” he coughed “I’m not good with directions. Can you lead me to the beach and help me find our ship?” Zoro pleaded. 

“Of course, anything for Sanji-kun” she was worried.

Zoro lifted Sanji into his arms and left with the woman. 

Lila had succeeded in directing him to the beach and they quickly found the Sunny. The rest of the crew were waiting impatiently and had spotted a blood-soaked Zoro in the distance. Chopper had assembled a stretcher and the boys helped carry Sanji onboard. 

Robin had thanked Lila for her help. They exchanged numbers so she could keep her informed of Sanji’s condition. 

Luckily, the Log Pose had set just in time due to the extra waiting they had to do for Zoro and Sanji. The ship pulled out of the alcove and continued its journey on a tranquil sea; much different to the chaotic commotion taking place in the infirmary. 

Zoro remained outside the infirmary for Sanji to wake up, but there was no sign of that happening any time soon. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know some things are a little off with Zoro's character (admitting he is bad with directions), but I want to interpret him in my own way! I hope you still liked it.


	8. Recovery

It had been five days since they had left the island and Sanji still hadn’t regained consciousness.

Chopper informed them that the Vice-Admiral had laced his sabers with poison. Luckily, it wasn’t deadly.

Zoro’s guilt haunted him the entire time. He had gotten it into his head that it was his fault that Sanji had been hurt. It would be his fault if he could not use his arm anymore. Until Sanji woke up, they wouldn’t be able to confirm if there would be any long-term harm. 

Cooking was everything to him, and if he damaged his arm, his dream would be over. Zoro didn’t even want to imagine the emotional pain this would cause him, but that’s ALL he could think about.

About three hours after bringing Sanji to the infirmary, Chopper confirmed his condition. Because of this bad news, Zoro had locked himself in the Crow’s Nest.

He didn’t want to see or speak to anyone. He was sure that they all blamed him after Lila had revealed to Robin what occurred. The only communication he had was with Brook, who left him food every day, but that was it.

This morning he had woken early again. He hadn’t been sleeping in the boy’s room and had set up a hammock in his training area. Every day he woke up, trained, ate, trained and slept. Anything to divert him from his guilt.

While Zoro was lifting dumbbells above his head, he heard a brief knock on the hatch.

“What?” he snapped.

“Hi Zoro, it’s Robin. Can I come talk to you?”

“Ok,” he said, opening the hatch.

“Thank you,” she answered, entering the room.

“What do you want?” he asked.

“Well, Zoro. I’ve noticed that you’ve withdrawn this week after what happened to Sanji, and I want to make sure you’re ok. Lila told me what happened, and it wasn’t your fault,” she looked at him with tender eyes.

“I’m fine,” he said.

“No, Zoro, you’re not. Please, talk to me,” she pleaded.

Zoro sighed and placed the dumbbell on the ground. He picked up his towel and sat down in front of Robin. She was very attentive and there was no use in pretending.

“If it wasn’t for me, he wouldn’t have gotten hurt. Now, he might lose the use of his arm and it would be all my fault” he was staring at his feet, not wanting to look her in the eyes.

She moved over to sit close to him and rested her hand on his shoulder.

“Zoro, it’s not your fault. You didn’t distract him on purpose. From what Lila told me, Sanji picked an argument with you in the middle of a fight. Please don’t blame yourself for his own decisions,”

“No, that’s not right. It was my fault, not his. Don’t blame him for it,” he snapped at her.

“I’m not, I want you to realise that he also played a part in the choices made that day”

“I don’t know what I’ll do if he can’t cook anymore. I can’t live with that guilt,” he sighed, putting his head into his hands.

“I also came to tell you that Sanji has woken up. So, you need to talk to him about this,” Robin smiled at him.

Zoro lifted his head and his eyes widened “he’s awake?”

She nodded and Zoro sprung up, exited the Crow’s Nest and headed to the infirmary. He was keen to see Sanji and was glad he had finally woken up, but when he arrived at the door he paused.

What if Sanji was still mad at him? Would he want to see him? It didn’t matter anyway; he had to confront him and he had faced scarier things than this. He pushed the door open and saw the cook resting under the covers of the infirmary bed.

Sanji’s eyes opened when the swordsman entered, and a small smile lit his face.

 _Ok good, he wasn’t angry at him_ , Zoro thought.

He approached the bed and brought over the chair, getting ready to apologise.

“Zoro, I’m sorry for what I did” Sanji interrupted before he could speak.

“You’re sorry? Why are you sorry? It’s because of me you’re hurt!” he exclaimed, trying to keep his voice down.

“No, it was my fault, I’m also sorry for how I behaved before the fight. I left you alone on the ship and then treated you stupidly” Sanji looked away when he said this, ashamed.

“But I’ve been feeling so guilty and I came here to apologise,” Zoro said, looking downhearted.

“Please don’t” Sanji reached out his hand and placed it on Zoro’s leg, “I was struggling to come to terms with everything. How far we went the other night kind of just freaked me out, I woke up questioning who I was and I ran. I’m sorry” Sanji explained.

“So that’s why you were acting like that?” Zoro questioned.

Sanji nodded in response.

“I thought you had decided you wanted nothing to do with me. I assumed you went to be with the closest woman you could find, ” Zoro chuckled.

Sanji looked inquisitively at Zoro, “Were you jealous, Marimo?” he grinned.

“What!? Me, jealous? Pfft,” Zoro shrugged off this comment.

“You were!” Sanji couldn’t stop laughing.

“No, I wasn’t, idiot!” Zoro’s face was reddening and Sanji couldn’t tell if he was angry or embarrassed.

“Just admit it!”

“If you weren’t injured, I’d kick your ass right now!” Zoro stood and stomped out of the infirmary, leaving Sanji chuckling behind him.

Well, that had gone differently than he expected.

* * *

Sanji couldn’t stop laughing at the revelation that the Marimo had been jealous, it was so unlike him.

Although it gave him amusement, it also left a warm feeling in his chest. This must mean Zoro has feelings for him. But saying that Zoro has feelings might be a bit too far.

Sanji got ready to curl back into the sheets when Zoro walked back through the door.

“I’m still annoyed, but when you are better and able to walk around again, come talk to me in the Crow’s Nest. Whether it be today, tomorrow or the next day” Zoro said what he had wanted and left.

Sanji resumed his rest and fell back asleep, his mood lightened by Zoro’s presence.

A few hours later, Chopper entered the infirmary to check on him.

“Hi Sanji, do you mind if we go through a few test procedures? I want to see if there has been any permanent damage to your arm,” Chopper inquired.

“Of course” Sanji replied, sitting up in his bed.

“Thank you, Sanji,” he beamed.

The doctor performed a series of tests on Sanji, some that left him in a tremendous amount of pain. But this was a good thing, it meant there was no nerve damage and the movement in his arm hadn’t been affected at all.

After around forty minutes of this, Chopper was satisfied, “Ok, Sanji! We’re all done here and I’m pleased to tell you you’re going to be just fine!”

“That’s great, Chopper, thank you,” Sanji smiled.

“I need to make you a sling and get your medicine for the rest of the week prepared, and then you can leave!”

Chopper fastened a sling around Sanji’s neck and arm for support.

“Ok, no cooking or using this arm until I say so. I don’t want your stitches to split” Chopper firmly told him.

Sanji reluctantly agreed to this and made his way out of the infirmary that evening. He had remembered Zoro’s request, but he wanted to make a quick stop at his kitchen first. When he entered, he saw that both Luffy and Usopp were sitting at the table playing cards.

“Luffy, you better not have eaten all the meat while I was gone,” Sanji glared at him.

Luffy’s face twisted into a suspicious pout “What meat? I have eaten no meat” he said unconvincingly.

Sanji didn’t believe him, but he sure was happy to see them.

“We missed you, Sanji! Chopper told us you’re going to be ok,” Usopp said.

“Yeah, I missed you soooo much Sanji and I really miss your food,” Luffy began drooling.

“You’ll have to miss it for a little longer, I’m not allowed to cook until I heal,” this caused a loud groan from Luffy.

Sanji continued observing his kitchen, making sure nothing was amiss. Once satisfied, he left to make his way to the Crow’s Nest. He had to ask Usopp if he would open the hatch for him since he would struggle with his injury.

“Thanks, Usopp. I’ll take it from here” he smiled at him and continued to clamber up.

When he had made his way up, Zoro was in the middle of an intense workout. He heard the swordsman exclaiming an obscenely large number. Sanji had always wondered if he did it to impress people.

Since he was doing handstand push-ups, he was facing away from him.

At this angle he could see several muscles in Zoro’s back straining with each rep, he had to admire this view. Zoro’s body was sculpted perfectly, and beads of sweat caressed each bump as they fell. Sanji bit his lip at this scene, remembering when their bodies pressed together.

Zoro launched himself back onto his feet and caught the cook staring at him.

“See something you like?” he smirked.

“Not anywhere nearby” he sarcastically replied.

Zoro wiped his forehead with his towel and walked over to him. He brushed Sanji’s hair aside, gently caressing the side of his face.

“I was so worried about you,” he admitted “I’m not sure why, but over the past week or so I’ve been thinking about you a lot. It scared me so much when you wouldn’t wake up and forced me to imagine what it would be like without you. Our crew would be incomplete, ” Zoro said, with a look of sorrow in his eyes.

The honesty of the swordsman stunned Sanji.

“Zoro i-” he was interrupted.

“I’m not done, I have more to say to you. I’ve also been thinking about what you said, about why you were acting strange and it’s my fault. I’ve done stuff like this before, sure it only lasted one night at the most, but I’m not completely new to it. You are, and I know I went too fast the other night. So I’m sorry,” Zoro explained.

Sanji threw his arms around Zoro and pulled him into an embrace. This was the first time anybody had talked to him this way, and it felt wonderful. He certainly hadn’t expected it to be from Zoro, but right now he didn’t care.

It meant so much to him to know that Zoro valued him and his part in their group. He had always thought he merely saw him as someone who brought food to him, but he realised now that it wasn’t the case.

Zoro’s body stiffened at the shock of the embrace. Slowly after, he responded with his arms around the cook.

Sanji’s pressed his face into Zoro’s bare shoulder “What are we doing?”

“I don’t know, cook, but I don’t want to lose it,” he responded.

“Neither do I,” Sanji said, lifting his head from Zoro’s shoulder.

Their embrace soon became a soft kiss, one that was devoid of lust but full of care.

“I think we need to get to know each other again, without us always fighting or competing,” Sanji suggested.

“How do we do that, we have no privacy here,” Zoro made a good point.

“We could meet in the kitchen after everyone goes to bed, I’m the only one with the key,” Sanji suggested.

“Ok, so what are we going to do? Talking and stuff?” Zoro asked hesitantly.

“Of course, silly! That’s what ‘getting to know you’ means. I feel like we’ve been travelling together for so long and I hardly know anything about your life. That might be why I’m having such a hard time easing into whatever it is we’re doing” Sanji realised.

“Alright, but I can’t promise I’ll be good at this talking stuff”

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you,” Sanji said this and then settled one last soft kiss on Zoro’s lips.

With Zoro’s help, Sanji left the Crow’s Nest and returned to his bunk in the boys’ room. If they were to be out after hours, he’d need rest.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where the 'caring' part of Zoro starts to awaken!


	9. Progress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little disclaimer - this is the first time I start to use vulgar words in this fic. So if you would prefer not to see that, I would suggest not reading. I hope all who are fine with it, enjoy!

Midnight approached fast, filling the sky with a bright lunar glow - the air was crisp and anyone outside would need to wrap up. In fact, someone was sauntering around the ship on the prowl for meat. Instead, this particular individual would find something they weren’t quite expecting.

* * *

Sanji woke a few hours later feeling rested. After making sure everyone was asleep, he got up and placed a casual shirt over his head. He seldom enjoyed being seen without his suit, but he knew Zoro didn’t care. 

When he arrived at the kitchen, he saw the light in the Crow’s Nest was on, meaning Zoro was still training. That’s good, he thought. It would give him time to make them a warm evening coffee. Sanji crushed the coffee beans and set a pot brewing on the stove, but still made sure it didn’t bubble over. 

Watching the liquid boiling allowed him to be alone in his thoughts for a moment.

He had given little time to think about the things they would talk about tonight; or how uncomfortable it would be. Sanji knew little about Zoro’s past, and for most of their time together, he had suspected he was an emotionless robot. He knew he could rely on him as Nakama, but that was it. 

Oh, it’s ready! He picked up the kettle from the stove and poured out two mugs; he added a drop of cream to his and left Zoro’s black. _Where is the Marimo, anyway?_ Just as he thought this, the swordsman wandered through the door, sniffing the air. 

“You made coffee?” he asked. 

“I did. Is that ok?” 

“Of course, I could use it after my training. I just think Chopper might kill you if he found out,” he grinned. 

“It’s just coffee,” he said.

Sanji passed Zoro his mug and walked over to the green seating that bordered the wall of the kitchen; for a few minutes, they sat in silence enjoying their warm beverages. After he worked up the courage, Sanji finally spoke.

“Ok Marimo, I have a suggestion. How about we meet here at least twice a week and share one secret?” Sanji asked. 

“I’m not sure I have that many secrets.”

“Well, it doesn’t have to be a secret, it could just be things I might not know about you” 

“Alright, we can try that,” Zoro looked hesitant. 

“I can go first. That way you can get an idea of where I’m heading with this” 

Zoro nodded, taking another sip of his coffee.

“Let me start with my full name. My name is Vinsmoke Sanji, and I am from a Royal bloodline ruling the Germa Kingdom. I escaped my hell when I was just a child and I have never looked back; to me, my true father is Zeff.''

Zoro looked up from his coffee with a stare of disbelief. 

“Wait, you’re telling me you’re a prince or something?” he laughed. 

“Technically yes, but I have denounced them. I’ll tell you why another time, but giving you this information means a lot to me; not even Luffy knows” 

“Thank you, cook.”

“Your turn then, Marimo-head” 

“Uh, ok. The only person I ever consistently lost to was a girl,” Zoro stuttered 

“No way, Marimo! I can’t believe that. Where is this girl? Surely she’s more suited to becoming the greatest swordsman then!”

Zoro’s face became slightly melancholy. Looking away from Sanji he said, “That’s a story for another time”.

Sanji sensed it wasn’t the time to push this and dropped the topic altogether. They had both finished their coffee, so he took the empty mugs and tried his best to wash them in the sink; he could tell the mood had changed and Zoro seemed to be in his thoughts elsewhere. He wasn’t sure if he should try to console him or just leave him be. 

After he had cleaned up, he walked back over to Zoro and sat next to him again; _I think he needs someone to comfort him_ , he thought. Sanji took his healthy arm and placed it around Zoro’s shoulder, pulling him into an embrace. 

“I don’t know what this girl meant to you, but I can see you’re suffering right now - everything will be alright, Marimo,” Sanji said. 

Zoro acknowledged with his arms around the cook, and they remained still in their hold for a few minutes. Sanji was relishing this warm feeling of their bodies pressed together; it reminded him of the evening they spent on the Sunny. It was pleasurable what they had done, but he wasn’t ready then.

Even though Zoro hadn’t told him the entire story, he felt much closer to him already; like there was a part of him only he had access to - even if he had disclosed little. Maybe this meant he was ready to resume the physical encounters they had? 

Sanji pulled away from their grasp and pinned his lips against Zoro’s. This wasn’t like the caring kiss they had earlier; this was more primal. He felt a desire building in him and he wanted to feel the swordsman pressing against him again - but of course, his injury meant they had to be careful. 

He stood and lowered himself onto Zoro, straddling him, similar to the night they had kissed against the tree. 

“Can you hold on to me? I want to try something,” Sanji asked. 

“Of course.” 

Zoro placed his hands under his rear and kept him steady above him. Sanji nervously moved his uninjured arm down towards Zoro’s hardness. This was the first time he had yearned to touch it, and he wanted to show Zoro that he could let himself go; so he did. 

Sanji’s hand grasped Zoro’s thickness, causing a low growl to exit the swordsman’s lips. It seemed he hadn’t foreseen this, but he was enjoying it. To Sanji’s surprise, Zoro’s manhood was fairly large; but the most discernible feature right now was its pure heat. That heat sent Sanji wild, and he continued motioning his hand in a way that evidently pleased Zoro; the swordsman’s head tilted back against the wall of the kitchen, he was straining to keep his moans silent. 

“Marimo, can you remove your pants?” Sanji excitedly asked. 

“Are you sure about this?” 

“I’m sure” the shaking of his voice almost betrays the intention of his words. 

Zoro lifted Sanji and lowered his trousers to his ankles. He sat back down and pulled Sanji gently towards him, keeping him steadily in the same position as before. 

Sanji looked down at Zoro’s revealed cock, taking the entire image in - he couldn’t believe he was here, doing this with him. His suspicions around the size confirmed now, Sanji could see just how excited Zoro was by the glistening wetness at his tip. 

With a brave movement of his hand, he finally clutched it with a deep breath, eyes closed. It felt wonderful. His skin was burning at his touch and it was extremely soft - something he had not expected. Sanji resumed his hand motions now and Zoro gripped Sanji’s behind hard, moving his own hips in response to Sanji’s strokes. 

“I can’t… I can’t hold on much longer,” the swordsman strained. 

“Good.” 

This excited Sanji, causing his brushes to become even more erratic and frequent. After a few more seconds, Zoro let out a heavy sigh, thrusting his hips into Sanji’s hand; releasing himself partially onto the cook’s palm and his own shirt. 

“Oh, fuck” he blurted. 

“Whoops, I think we ruined your shirt,” Sanji chuckled. 

“It was worth it” Zoro grinned and pulled Sanji into one last kiss. 

The night was now coming to a close, and they parted ways to allow Zoro to clean up. Sanji headed straight back to bed and fell asleep with a wide smile accompanying his face.

* * *

The next day was a stormy one; the ever-changing weather of the grand line was testing their ship today. All crew members, apart from Sanji, helped keep the Sunny on its course through the storm and finally it subsided into a pitter-patter of light rain. 

Once it had settled down, Zoro made his way to his training room to make use of the burst of energy he was feeling today - despite the foul weather. Ever since the previous night, he had been feeling elated, and a joy he hadn’t known for a very long time had invaded his mind. 

Zoro wasn’t used to this kind of connection to someone he had been with physically, and he still wasn’t sure what it meant. He just knew that right now, he was developing possible feelings for the cook; not that he would tell him that. The best thing to do now is to just ride the waves of this new _relationship?_ What could go wrong?

While lost in these thoughts, Robin entered the Crow’s Nest through the hatch and strolled towards him. She had a somewhat worried look on her face and kept attempting to start a conversation with him, but stopped each time she almost uttered the first word. 

“Spit it out, Robin. What’s up?”

“Well, um. I was speaking to Luffy this morning, and he said he saw you and Sanji, doing something. When I asked him what, he said it looked like Sanji was trying to eat your face,” Robin looked at him awkwardly. 

Zoro’s face blazed bright crimson. He stared at Robin, frozen. That little monkey had been creeping around the ship late at night again, hadn’t he? He was happy with this arrangement as long as they kept it a secret. He didn’t know how to deal with it if something so intimate was common knowledge among the crew. 

“Don’t worry, I told him not to say anything to the others. I just thought I ought to let you know.”

“Thanks.” 

After sharing her knowledge, Robin departed and left him alone. 

_This makes things more complicated._

He picked up his dumbbells, aggressively swinging them above his head. A thought occurred to him, the cook would probably be far more bothered by this than he would. Zoro tried to clear his mind and hoped this wouldn’t affect the progress they had made last night.


	10. Takio island

A week had gone by since Sanji and Zoro's encounter in the kitchen, and another beautiful day on the Sunny had begun.

Nami and Robin were bathing in the rays on the deck, appreciating a rare tranquil afternoon. Luffy had been causing havoc all morning, and it had taken a fist to the top of his head to afford them some calm.

Sanji was also relaxing with the ladies, admiring them. He showed obvious disappointment that he couldn’t prepare endless cocktails and summer snacks, but alas, he still had the sling attached - it did pain him to not be their devoted assistant for the day. 

The night prior, Chopper had told Sanji he could remove the stupid constricting sling tomorrow, so he waited for the doctor to call on him. 

While Sanji was showering Nami with compliments, he saw Chopper descending the stairs, “Hey Sanji, come with me and we’ll get that sling off.”

“Thanks, Chopper.” 

He followed the tiny reindeer and sat on the infirmary bed. Chopper took great care not to hurt Sanji, which he appreciated. 

“Alright, all done. I’ve examined your wound, and it’s almost fully healed, but you still need to be cautious; it could open at any moment if you strain it. Also, wait another week before cooking, please.”

“I’ll try my best, thank you so much, Chopper.” Sanji patted him on the head, causing the doctor to blush.

When Sanji returned to the girls, Nami requested he gather the rest of the crew. After Sanji rounded up the men, they all took their places around the navigator. 

“Alright, we're coming up on our next stop. We won’t be there until the evening, but I’ll have our rooms booked already by then, so we can head straight to the hotel,” she paused, “now everyone, listen carefully, especially you Luffy. The place we are going to is Takio island, it’s run by wealthy pirates, it’s a sort of safe-haven for outlaws. We must not get into any fights or trouble, or there will be serious consequences. Rumour has it, they have their own security, and each member is very powerful, so please try your best not to cause anything.” 

Robin stepped forward after Nami had finished, “Ever since Nami informed me of our next destination, I did a bit of research; the island is one large city. Most of the buildings are hotels or bars, and a lot of gambling takes place. Be mindful to not get carried away, Zoro.”

“Huh, why are you telling me?” 

“Just be careful. We don’t need to hide our ship off the coast either, since it's run by pirates. They have a port for us and a dedicated security team guarding the ships. For this kind of freedom; however, we must not start any problems with other pirates. Upon setting foot on the island, we are agreeing to a temporary truce and as Nami explained, violating this rule will not be treated lightly.”

Robin finished talking and took a step back.

“Ok, is everyone clear on what we just said?” 

They all nodded and went about their days as normal. 

Although Chopper had told him he couldn’t cook yet, Sanji decided it was probably ok to make fancy drinks for the girls, _yeah it was probably fine, right?_ He went to his kitchen and pulled out two cocktail glasses, followed by lemons; Tequila and Cointreau. He expertly mixed up the concoction and emptied it evenly into two glasses. He had sugared the edge of the glasses and placed a thin slice of lemon, finished by an ice cube in each. 

Sanji returned to the ladies and delivered the drinks, “Two lemon margaritas for you, my beauties,” he said, bowing after they had taken the glasses from his hands. 

“Thank you, Sanji-kun,” Nami said, taking a sip, “Oh my, this is strong,” her face scrunched up. 

“A potent cocktail is the best way to enjoy a wonderful day in the sun, my dear,” Sanji said this, turning to leave the ladies. Even though he loved spending time with them, he had to speak to a certain Marimo.

“Oh Sanji-kun, before I forget. I called the owner of the hotel and I swindled him down to half price for our rooms, which means we all get our own for an entire week! Isn’t that great? It was already extremely cheap, but he couldn’t resist my charm,” she giggled, winking. 

“That’s excellent Nami-san, you’re as cunning as usual,” Sanji said, leaving for good this time. _Now, where is that moss head? Crow’s Nest! Where else?_

Sanji lightly tapped on the hatch and entered the room, spotting Zoro napping against the wall. He walked over and kicked him awake. 

“Oi, Marimo. Rise and shine!” 

“What is it, shitty cook?” someone was grouchy. 

“Nami-san just informed me of something very opportune.” 

“Oh? What’s that?”

“We are each going to have a room to ourselves for the entire week we are ashore, which means we can have a lot of privacy,” he smirked. 

Zoro’s grin turned mischievous as he stood up, clasping his hands around Sanji’s waist. He burrowed his face into the cook’s neck, leaving traces of kisses up to the line of his chin, “I guess that means I get to repay you for what you did for me the last time we were alone,” he continued nuzzling at his neck.

Sanji sighed audibly, arching his body towards Zoro, “I guess it does.” 

They had to be careful, or they’d end up getting caught, so Sanji forced himself away from the swordsman; no matter how much he didn’t want to. The next week will be interesting. 

* * *

Luffy ran to where Zoro was napping, “Zoro! Zoro! Look, I see it, I see it!” 

Zoro grumpily opened his eye and went to see what had gotten Luffy so excited, _Oh wow._ When Robin had said the island was one big city, he hadn’t known what to expect, but now he understood. Buildings were sprawling across the shore as far as the eye could see. The only part that wasn’t inhabited by the concrete blocks were the sidewalks and rows of docking bays. There were hundreds of pirate ships arranged across the side of the island, all adorning its own Jolly Roger. Everywhere he looked, Zoro saw neon lights illuminating the evening sky. 

“It’s beautiful, huh, Marimo?” Sanji approached him from behind, cigarette in his mouth. 

Zoro looked back at him, “it sure is,” he smiled. 

_Oh shit,_ he thought. The cook might think I meant him, he wouldn’t want Sanji to get that impression so he shoved him gently, “shame it’s ruined by so many stinking pirates.” Sanji chuckled and enjoyed the view. They were quickly interrupted when Nami arrived, ordering them around.

After the Sunny had successfully docked, an island official entrusted them with a token painted with a number specific to them. If they lost it, they wouldn’t be able to collect the ship, so it was vital somebody responsible cared for it, which was obviously Nami. 

The navigator asked the worker directions to the hotel she had booked, and they set off, following her lead. The streets were bustling, full of people and energy. Food stalls lined every pathway, each selling a unique dish, Zoro could tell that Sanji was in heaven. Since each building had its own neon light, the colours collided, creating a stunning rainbow mixture across the stone paving. Zoro tilted his head and looked up to the sky, which was hiding far behind the height of the enormous structures. 

“We’re here!” Nami shouted to the crew.

From the outside, the hotel didn’t look like much, but when they stepped inside, it was like they had entered a magical world. Each wall, decorated with glossy, cream coloured slabs of stone, blended into the glistening marbled flooring. A dozen chandeliers were hanging from the ceiling, and a miniature aquarium was at the centre of the grand entrance. 

Nami headed straight to the welcome desk to get the keys. 

“How did she get these rooms so cheap?” Zoro asked.

“The economy of this island is thriving, everything here is reasonably cheap since they have a lot of business throughout the year,” Robin answered.

Sanji nudged him, “It’s far too complex for you to understand, Marimo.” 

_Bastard, just you wait until later_.

* * *

Everyone had gone to their own rooms and agreed to meet for breakfast the next day. Sanji had other plans for the swordsman. 

He had memorised the room number Nami had assigned to Zoro and made his way there. He knocked on the door, Zoro answered, shirtless, wearing just his comfy shorts. He looked incredible. 

Sanji gulped and entered the room, prying his eyes away from Zoro’s perfect body. 

“I ordered you a bottle of wine, cook.” 

“Oh, so you just assumed I would be here tonight? What if I went straight to sleep?” 

“Then I’d have saved it for tomorrow.”

“Touché,” Sanji winked at him. 

Unlike the other times they had been together, he was feeling ready and eager for tonight. Sanji felt comfortable being around him now, and having him close excited him. Eventually, he would give himself to the swordsman completely, but for now, this was ideal. 

Zoro sat on the bed and motioned Sanji to sit next to him - to which he complied. Sanji had also dressed in his nightwear and was in striped, grey pyjama bottoms and a plain white tank top. 

“I like seeing you so informal,” Zoro said, placing a kiss on Sanji’s uncovered shoulder. The presence of Zoro’s lips on his skin sent tingles through his body, causing him to shiver.

“Are you cold, cook?”

“No, that just felt nice,” he said, biting his bottom lip. 

Zoro took that as an invitation to leave more kisses on his revealed skin, tracing his shoulder with his left hand, while caressing Sanji’s lean thigh with his other. Sanji could feel his pants tightening, and he desperately wanted Zoro to touch him. He was ready. He removed Zoro’s hand from his leg and guided it to his bulge.

Zoro looked at him with excitement, not withdrawing his gaze when his hand gripped Sanji’s erection.

“Oh, fuck,” Sanji hadn’t intended to speak, but it had slipped out. 

Zoro attacked Sanji’s lips now and pushed him onto the bed, still rubbing his hand over his cock. He couldn’t believe how good it felt being touched by another person, to be completely at their mercy.

Sanji stopped their kisses for a moment to remove his shirt, but he had to have more, he wanted more. He needed Zoro. 

Zoro sensed his spike in arousal and took a pillow from the bed, setting it under Sanji’s head, attacking his lips again with an urgency he had never felt. Sanji tugged at his pyjama bottoms, willing Zoro to tear them off. 

Zoro stood at the end of the bed and hooked his thumbs into the waistband, removing them with a quick tug. Zoro’s eyes widened, finding Sanji’s bare cock displayed in front of him. 

Sanji was throbbing in anticipation of Zoro’s touch. He studied the brutish but tender man standing over him, with a look of hunger in his eyes. This is when Zoro dropped to his knees in front of the bed and started kissing the inside of Sanji’s thighs, causing a whimper to escape his lips. 

_Oh fuck, what is he going to do?_ This feeling was so new to him, but he loved it. He had to have more. 

“Touch me, Zoro,” he moaned. 

Zoro let out a profound sigh and clasped his fingers around Sanji’s uncovered cock. _Fuck, his hand feels so good._ Zoro stroked Sanji slowly, while still kissing his sensitive thighs. Sanji clutched Zoro’s free hand tightly. He didn’t want to let go; he wanted this feeling to last forever. 

When Sanji thought he couldn’t feel anything more intensely, Zoro used his tongue to lick the wetness Sanji had already created, licking his lips after the first taste. _Holy fuck, that’s hot_. 

He must have enjoyed the taste, because soon Zoro’s mouth had taken in Sanji’s tip, massaging it with his tongue. 

“Fuck Z...Zoro. It feels so fu...fucking good.” 

He had increased the pace of his hand, deepening the length of his strokes. Sanji was trembling at this point, his entire body yielding to the touch of the swordsman. Zoro removed his hand from Sanji’s cock and grabbed his own, pleasuring them both at the same time. 

Zoro’s mouth had taken in more of Sanji’s length, his head moving vigorously. Sanji’s hands were now gripping Zoro’s moss coloured hair, forcing his movements to become even faster. He was losing it now, there was no way he could hold it in any longer. 

“Zoro, I’m cu…” he couldn’t even get his words out before erupting into Zoro’s mouth. 

The swordsman quickened his pace and swallowed every drop Sanji offered, moaning as he took it all in. He stood in front of him and spurted onto Sanji’s abdomen with a loud moan, chest heaving; crumbling on top of him as he kissed his lips softly. 

“Thank you, cook. You taste delicious,” he winked.

Sanji could barely move, his head still spinning from the pleasure Zoro had caused him. Everything felt numb, but he was still sensitive to each touch of his skin. He felt like he was floating, and the only thing keeping him grounded was Zoro’s weight against him. 

“I’m going to shower, you coming?” Zoro asked, forcing himself up. 

After a tremendous amount of effort, Sanji sat up on the bed, “No Marimo, you go.” 

_Fuck._ This feels too _normal?_ Sanji felt uneasy with this new feeling in his chest. It’s not like they’re in a relationship, so he should leave now, right? _Yeah, I should._

Sanji pulled his pyjama bottoms back on and picked up his shirt, wiping his stomach with it. He hated to dirty his clothes, but he didn’t want to walk through the corridor in that condition. 

The sound of the shower started in the bathroom and Sanji opened the door to the hotel room, closing it behind him.

_Yes, this is what the Marimo wants. No feelings, just sex._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was a bit steamy! Hope you liked it!


	11. Exposed

Zoro exited the shower, taking a towel from the heated rack. He ran it through his hair, then closed it around his waist. Wiping his hand over the steamy mirror, he stared at the reflection looking back at him.

How hadn’t he seen this coming? For as long as he remembers, they fought daily, but nobody else understands Zoro quite like him. The only person who knew what happened on Thriller Bark was Sanji. Plus, they are the strongest in the crew aside from Luffy. They understand each other in a way nobody else could.

He saw something unusual in his reflection - a smile. _What a welcome change_ , he thought. Eager to return to Sanji, he stepped away from the mirror, leaving the bathroom. 

“Hey, cook, shall we open that bottle now?” Zoro said.

 _He’s gone_.

* * *

“Wahoooo, let’s go,” Luffy yelled out. 

The hotel contained another secret, a swimming pool.

Luffy, Chopper and Usopp were very excited, barely containing themselves throughout breakfast. 

Sanji scarcely slept, but he wasn’t sure why. Zoro doesn’t get connected emotionally. This physical relationship was ideal for him, right? - This thought troubled him during the night.

Something was wrong, though. Zoro hadn’t even glanced in his direction during breakfast, and it was apparent he was avoiding him. 

_Great, yet another Sanji fuck up!_

Whenever they took a step forward, Sanji dragged them back to where they had begun. He couldn’t fathom why he kept doing it. What is it that keeps getting in his way? _This is too fucking much_.

“Luffy, I don’t know why you’re so excited, you can’t even swim,” Nami barked at Luffy, who was now jumping out of control. 

“Franky made this for me,” showing her a rubber ring.

“Uh, ok. Be careful, alright?” 

Sanji sighed, appearing in no mood for the excitement; he had to get away; he needed to be alone; too many people here. 

“Shitty cook, watch where you’re going!” he crashed into Zoro during his panic. 

“Fuck, I’m sorry.” 

“For what? Knocking into me, or ditching last night?” Zoro blanked. 

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t feeling well, so I left,” Sanji couldn’t look him in the eye. 

“You should’ve mentioned it before leaving,” he paused “... alright, it’s fine. I never imagined I’d say this, but, please talk with me.” 

“I don’t want to. What if someone hears?” 

“Quit being so bothered by how others view you.” 

“Please, forget it. I can’t handle this right now,” Sanji started walking away, but Zoro grabbed his arm. 

“Look, I appreciate it’s difficult for you, so it’s ok. Forget it, alright?” 

“Alright. Wanna bet I can swim a hundred laps faster than you?” 

“No chance, you’re on, Cook.”

Zoro yanked off his shirt, diving into the swimming pool, followed by Sanji. 

The rest of the day was full of laughter and shenanigans, and despite Nami’s advice, Luffy almost drowned four times. Robin spent her day in a local museum, and Franky ventured to the Sunny for maintenance. 

According to Nami, the hotel was home to a deluxe casino; she agreed they could each have some Beli on the condition she gets fifty percent of all winnings. 

They stayed at the pool until sunset. Sanji was looking forward to the evening. This was the perfect chance to wear his best suit and impress the ladies with his sophistication. He checked himself over in the mirror and added the last touch; a red satin tie. 

“Damn, Sanji. You look good,” he said to himself. 

He left his room and followed the signs to the casino, eventually discovering a grand, marbled door. He forced it open and exchanged a few Beli for a band around his wrist that granted him access to all parts of the casino. 

The doorway was on the top floor. Golden tiles, decorated with small blue flowers adorned the ground and the same marble from the entrance coated the walls. There were three levels, each surrounding the lower floor which held the focal point, a magnificent water fountain. Not only was the ground floor extraordinary, but the ceiling was astonishingly beautiful too. Angels reaching out to one another, and cherubs floating along with the clouds, a brilliant scene painted out right above his head. 

Sanji always admired the beauty people created; he believed each person had something to offer and his thing was food. 

His train of thought snapped when he saw the two ladies on the lowest floor, sitting by the fountain. They wore the dresses he picked out for the ball, and they looked remarkable. He had to hurry down so he could compliment them immediately. 

“Ladies, you both look stunning,” he bent in their direction. 

They chuckled, thanking him, and headed to where the rest of their friends had settled down. Zoro was already there and on a winning streak at the roulette table. A sparkle lit in Nami’s eyes each time the ball settled on the correct colour. 

Sanji walked over to the bar and bought the crew drinks. He thought he would treat himself tonight to a mixture of fancy cocktails, the first being a strawberry daiquiri; then a tequila sunrise; then a cosmopolitan, then a piña colada. Simply put, he drank a vast amount in a short time. 

With his fourth cocktail in hand, he tottered over to the swordsman, still sitting alone at the same roulette table. Sanji drew up a chair and set his drink down, a little harder than he had intended. 

“If you keep winning big, I might have to reward you,” Sanji slipped his hand onto Zoro’s leg, sinking into him. 

Zoro forced him off, “Cook, you’re drunk. Be careful.” 

“Why should I? You’re the one who said I needed to let go,” His speech was slurring. 

Zoro gestured to the casino worker in control of the table, “I’m calling it quits now.” 

He stood and pulled Sanji up by his elbow, guiding him to a private area by the bar which differed from the rest of the casino. It had midnight black flooring, speckled with glitter, and a dark red glow was the only thing illuminating it. 

Zoro carefully set him down in the private booth, mostly closed off from view. Sanji’s heart felt like it was going to burst. He wasn’t sure if it was the intoxication or Zoro’s presence. He wanted to fling himself into his arms and never let go. 

“Why are you being so kind?” Sanji asked. 

“Because... because I care about you,” Zoro admitted to Sanji. 

“Thank you,” he gave a lazy grin. 

Zoro had set himself next to him, and Sanji couldn’t help but reach out, clutching his face between his hands. He kissed him tenderly, breathing in his distinct scent as he did. 

“Zoro, I’m so lost. I don’t know who I am anymore.” 

“You’ll find yourself,” Zoro said, kissing him again before moving away.

It was lucky they had separated because Nami, Robin and Luffy had found them moments after, bringing more drinks. 

A few hours passed and Sanji became even more inebriated. He didn’t know how the Marimo did it; he drank a third more than him and despite that, his composure was far greater than his. 

“Sanji-kun, I think Zoro would like some space to himself,” Nami said. 

_Huh? What does she mean?_

She must have noticed his quizzical look, “You’re sitting awfully close, I’m concerned you two might fight if you irritate him.” 

“I don’t think he minds, Nami. Zoro lets Sanji eat his face sometimes!” Luffy blurted out. 

Everyone around the table went deathly silent and Sanji turned pale.

_What did he just say? Please tell me I misheard._

_“_ Sanji-kun, is this true?” Nami asked. 

He shoved himself further away from Zoro with a look of repugnance on his face, “Are you kidding me? Do you think I’d do that with an ugly moss head? I can’t believe you’d think so little of me.” 

“Fuck you,” Zoro got up and stomped away, leaving most of them puzzled. 

_Shit, I’ve done it again._

“Sanji, that was really shitty of you. Go find him, right now.”

He had really fucked up this time. 

Sanji scoured the hotel and couldn’t find Zoro. He wasn’t in his room and didn’t even join them for breakfast the next morning. 

Yeah, he had really fucked up. 

* * *

Nami walked over to where he was drinking his black tea. She held a small plate filled with mini croissants and a glass of orange juice. 

“So, Sanji-kun. Did you talk to Zoro like I told you to?” 

“I couldn’t find him anywhere. He’s completely vanished.” 

“What’s really going on with you?” 

“I don’t want to talk about it here.” 

They finished their breakfast and met again at Nami’s room. 

“Ok, sit,” she said, pointing to the armchair. He did as he was told and Nami perched in the chair opposite him. 

“Alright, Sanji-kun. What is happening? Luffy said he saw you kissing, at least I think that’s what he meant.” 

“For a few weeks now, we’ve been getting closer. It shouldn’t have happened, but it did, I understand if you think less of me now, Nami-san.” 

“Why would I think less of you?” 

“I’m not even a ladies’ man anymore. What am I, does this mean I’m gay?” he was losing control. 

“You don’t need to label yourself, you are who you are, there’s no need to define it,” she reached out her hand. He was trembling and on the verge of tears. Sanji isn’t used to being so vulnerable, and it scared the shit out of him. 

“Nami-san, I don’t know what I’m doing,” he rested his elbows on his knees, concealing his head in his hands. 

“You’ll figure it out, Sanji, but you need to stop pretending to be something you’re not. We all love you, we just want you to be happy.” 

“Thank you, Nami-san. I really fucked up.” 

“Have you checked back on the Sunny? Whenever Zoro gets annoyed, he trains, right?” 

“You’re right! I’ll go check, thank you for everything.” 

Sanji made his way to the Sunny and could see straight away that Zoro was there, because of the light shining from the Crow’s Nest. He jumped onto the ship and walked up to the swordsman’s training room.

When he entered, Zoro was sweating profusely, it was clear he had been working out all morning. He noticed his presence but continued what he was doing. 

“I’m so sorry, Zoro,” Sanji said. 

Zoro ignored him, lifting the weights parallel to his body. His face was stone cold, showing a great air of indifference. 

“Zoro, please. I really fucked up, I know. I’ve been fucking up ever since this started.” 

Still no acknowledgement. 

“Alright, I understand if you don’t want to talk to me, but there are things I need to say to you. Things I didn’t understand until last night.” 

Nothing. 

“I have feelings for you. I think I keep fucking up because I don’t want to get hurt. Nowhere in my mind can I believe you would want anything more than sex, but I don’t think I can do that. I’m developing feelings for you and the longer it goes on, the stronger they’ll get. So unless you can reciprocate, we need to stop this.” 

Zoro finally put his weights down and wiped his face with a towel. He sat on the bench and looked straight at Sanji. 

“I don’t think you realise how much I’ve compromised so far. I’ve been patient with you, even when you do ‘fuck up’. How can you have feelings for me after consistently proving you don’t?” 

“I can’t explain it. Everything I thought I was has been a lie. The biggest obstacle I’ve been facing is myself,” Sanji said. 

“No, the biggest obstacle is other people. You care too much. Even if you have feelings for me, I won’t be in some secret relationship. I have never been so vulnerable with anybody before, I’ve given you so much, and last night was how you repay me? Not to mention how you ditched me the night before.” 

“I’m sorry. When I’m around you, I feel liberated and like I can be myself. I think about you all the time, you are infecting my mind,” said Sanji. 

“Cook, the problem is you run away every time. There’s only so much of this I can take. I can’t accept it until you SHOW me you mean it. Your actions betray your words, why is that?” Zoro asked. 

“I... I don’t know what else I can say.” 

“Say nothing. I need to think about this. In the meantime, you could try to work on accepting who you are. I think we’re done here.” 

Sanji felt his eyes welling up, but he didn’t want Zoro to see, so he left quickly and ran into his kitchen. Once he was sure of privacy, he fell to the floor with his back against the wall, and let his emotions overcome him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was a slight tip of the hat to the title in this chapter!


	12. Takio Cooking Festival

Isolation. Zoro had separated himself from the cook. He was so angry; it had taken all of his might to not aim his steel at his head.

How could he let somebody so aggravating take charge of his emotions? Sure, the cook had his redeeming qualities but were they worth the pain he is creating. Being upset was a rare occurrence for Zoro, but since he had let himself be vulnerable, it hurt even more what Sanji had done. 

It had taken upsetting him to get him to accept he cared for Zoro. If anything was apparent now, it’s that he is a coward. A man who can’t admit his own feelings isn’t worth my time, Zoro thought. He had chosen two days ago that he would stay on the Sunny for the duration of their visit. 

He had stupidly let himself think he could be happy. I won’t make that mistake again. No matter how much he loved the way the cook’s pants hugged his backside; how he handled his cigarette; how his smile sent butterflies fluttering through his stomach, his stupid curly eyebrow. 

No. Those things don’t matter. 

It was time to refocus on becoming the world’s greatest swordsman. Never again would he allow distraction, even more so when it’s unappreciated. Zoro jumped out of his bed and started walking up to the Crow’s Nest, ready to begin his daily routine. He spotted Robin on the pier, heading to the ship. 

Great, someone else coming to ruin my mood. 

He sat on the stairs leading to the kitchen area and waited for her arrival. Once she climbed on board, she walked towards him, handing him a drink. “I brought you a coffee, no sugar of course.” 

“Thanks,” he said. 

“You’re probably questioning why I’m here?” she asked. 

“I’m going to take a stab and say it’s about the cook?” 

She nodded. 

“Whatever it is, can we just get it over with?” he asked. 

“Sanji is a mess, Zoro. He doesn’t leave his room if it’s not mealtime and he won’t talk to anybody, not even Nami.” 

“Why’s that my problem? It’s him that fucked things up by being an asshole.” 

“A connection like yours, is something he never expected. Do you understand that?” she asked. 

“Of course I do, but I don’t think you realise what I have compromised already to make him feel comfortable with it. When I determined to be the greatest swordsman, I told myself nothing would get in my way. Just by opening myself up to him, I’ve broken this rule.” 

Robin took a sip of her drink and sat next to the swordsman. Zoro felt her stare piercing him, but she said nothing - what is this creepy woman doing? 

“The hell are you looking at?” 

“You’re sad aren’t you, Zoro?” she asked him. 

“What do you mean, sad? I can handle this. Some shitty cook can’t get to me.” 

“I don’t believe you, I have studied your behaviour before. You don’t let things bother you this much, you would’ve hit him or shrugged it off. The fact you are here, keeping your distance, shows me you’re hurt.”

“What are you? Some kind of psychic? I’m fine, ok,” he said. 

“You complain that Sanji cannot admit what he feels, yet you can’t do the same.”

That was when he realised what an idiot he was. This entire time he had been giving Sanji shit for doing the same thing. Zoro had been downplaying how much Sanji had hurt him. 

“You’re right, Robin.” 

“It’s clear to me you feel something special for Sanji. I’ve never seen you behave this way. To throw it away because he made some mistakes. What a waste. Please, give him another chance.” 

“Fine. If he messes me around one more time, I’m through with him. I haven’t come this far for a curly idiot to hold me back.” 

Robin grinned at him, closing her eyes, and said her goodbyes. Before she left, she told Zoro of a cooking festival in six hours and that they had begged Sanji to compete. Zoro promised he would consider going. 

After hours of training and contemplation, he decided he would show the cook some support. Not like he needed it. Even on his worse day, he could win any contest. He had two hours until the event started, so he called Robin on her Den Den Mushi to guide him to the festival.

Upon their arrival, they saw rows of cooking stations arranged next to one another, each sheltered by a red and blue striped material held up with poles. A low fence enclosed the area and was only accessible to competitors and judges. At the centre were six chairs placed around a large table, covered with a fine crimson cloth. A man in a white tuxedo paced back and forth, reading out loud. A microphone in front of him.

Zoro squinted his eyes in the sun, scanning for the rest of his friends, and spotted them next to a crêpe stand filling their faces. Luffy recognised him and waved, cheeks stuffed like a hamster. 

“Zoro, you made it!” Chopper said, smiling. The reindeer ran over to him, holding chocolate covered crêpes; unfortunately, he met a stone on his way and went toppling over. Zoro hurried over to the doctor and picked him up, checking he was alright. The crêpes didn’t make it, but Chopper left the incident unscathed. Everyone except Sanji was there, and he wondered where he was - but he didn’t want to ask. Fortunately for Zoro, Nami answered his internal question. “Zoro, Sanji has been practising all morning, but he thinks his food is less than adequate right now. It’s probably because of his mood. Can you go talk to him?”

Zoro sighed, he didn’t want to give in to the cook just yet, but he also didn’t wish failure upon him. “I can talk to him, but where is he?” he asked. 

“Do you see that red tent? The building behind it is the practice hall. He should be in there. We have an hour before it starts, and we NEED to win that money... I mean, we need Sanji to be ok.” Nami’s greed never ceased to amaze him.

He left his friends and headed inside the building she had pointed out. It was full of people, and the scent of cooking was potent. Can anyone hear themselves in this place? He pushed through the crowd of chefs, but he stood no chance of finding Sanji in this mess. He eagerly searched for somewhere he could have a vantage point, but couldn’t find one. Dammit. 

After thirty minutes of searching, he returned to Nami to inform her of his failure. She wasn’t very pleased with this, but she made a compromise with him. “You better make sure he notices when he leaves that building, go stand somewhere he can see you.” He nodded at her and twisted back around to the building when she shouted. “And Zoro, you better give him your best smile.” 

Why is the witch so intrusive? 

Zoro went to the entrance to the competition area, wrestling his way there. The sun was oppressively beating down on him while he waited for his majesty to make an appearance. He could feel his clothing sticking to his lower back, and small droplets of moisture had formed at his brow. 

Just as Zoro was losing his patience, he heard a high frequency coming from the speakers surrounding the area. It must be starting. The gentleman in the white tuxedo had grabbed the microphone and began his introductions. “Good Afternoon, ladies and gentleman of the grand line. Today we are hosting the monthly cooking extravaganza! Hundreds of cooks will face off, but we can crown only one winner! Our first challenge will be a test of skill! Our esteemed judges will watch them all intently. If you’re not up to par, you don’t stand a chance! So step up to the flames and show us what you’ve got!”

God, could this get any worse. 

After the presenter had spoken his last words, the doors to the building Zoro had searched earlier opened. Each competitor was following behind the other, wearing a nametag. Once they reached the gates, they spread out among the many stations. Zoro hadn’t spotted Sanji yet; but he was searching avidly on his tiptoes, lifting his head in curiosity like a meerkat. 

Sanji appeared at last, and Zoro leaned over the railing. Ok, here I go. He waved at him; looking in his direction; he forced a smile, closing his eye. What the hell am I doing? When Zoro opened his eye again, he could see Sanji laughing at him, gripping his stomach. Zoro’s smile faded but soon returned after the cook left a kiss on his hand, sweeping it towards him. 

He had done his job. Sanji had an extra step in his walk after their brief encounter. Zoro pushed his way back, eager to see how the competition would evolve. 

Sanji passed the first test and advanced to the next round. After they knocked out thirty competitors, the second round was underway. In the presentation test, each chef had to create a unique and beautiful dish. Zoro had confidence Sanji would succeed in this, as he always displayed his dishes with elegance. Because of the number of competitors, it was hard to spot him. Luckily, only five could make it to the final.

As expected, Sanji made it through to the third round, the taste test. Thirty people were remaining. One competitor drew the next dish at random, and the announcer informed them it would be a simple vegetable soup. After fifty minutes, the Straw Hats walked up to the barrier. Sanji was now in view. He was leaning against a chair, smoking - of course, he had already finished. The judges walked over to his station and each took a spoon to the dish, praising him for its sensational taste. He was through to the final. 

After the first three rounds, they had an hour’s break. “Zoro, this is your chance to talk to him!” Nami said. They could see the cook walking in their direction, and his friends ran at him congratulating his victories. Zoro hung back while they gathered around him, but Sanji’s eyes met his. Zoro signalled with his head for him to come to talk. They walked for about five minutes and found a quiet bench. 

“I bought you a peach iced tea from a stand,” Zoro said, passing him the drink. 

“Thanks.” 

“Uh... I talked to Robin earlier. You think I’m an emotionless person, but what you said and did, hurt me. I guess I pushed you away because I didn’t want to admit how upset I was. Robin saw right through me. You need to see me as someone with feelings now.” 

“Does that mean you’re giving me another chance?” Sanji’s face glowed. 

“Sure.” 

Sanji threw his arms around Zoro’s neck and clung to him. His body tensed at the touch, but then he enclosed his arms around the cook’s back, pulling him into a tender embrace. They stayed there in each other’s hold for minutes, their heads leaning together. He suddenly felt that his cheek was damp and realised it was falling from the cook’s eyes. He was crying. 

“What’s wrong, cook?” Zoro asked. 

“I’m just so lost right now. Everything I thought I knew has been a lie. I’m only sure of how I feel about you, and I regret what I did," he sobbed. 

“We can get through this together. Promise me now, you won’t keep anything from me again.” 

“I promise,” Sanji said. 

Zoro took the cook’s head within his hands and rested his lips softly against him. “We need to go back soon, you have a competition to win. What’s your task for the final?” 

Sanji sniffled and pulled away. “We have to create a dish that embodies the essence of each challenge. It has to taste and look great, while still showing my skill. I’m going to go with my personal favourite, spicy seafood pasta. I’ll even brew up a black tea to compliment.” 

“You’ll have enough time for that?” Zoro asked. 

“Of course I will, don’t you know who I am?” 

“Yes, you’re the greatest cook on the grand line,” Zoro smiled. He caressed Sanji’s lips with his one last time and they started walking back.

The rest of the competition went as he had predicted. Sanji had won, the others were no threat to him. It stunned the judges how perfect his food was. “Let’s hear it for uh...” the presenter reviewed his cards, “Mr. Prince! Not only have you won our cash prize, but we are glad to present you with a stay in the grandest hotel on the island! This is only available for two nights, and we allow one guest. Chose wisely. Thank you all for coming, have a wonderful day!” With that statement, the competition was over. 

After receiving his prizes, Sanji met up with them again. He gave Nami the Beli immediately and the rest of the crew, apart from Zoro, looked at him with doe eyes. 

“The hell is up with you guys?” Zoro asked. 

“They’re begging to be my guest. I already know who I want to take, so it’s no use,” Sanji told them. 

“Well then, who is it?” Franky asked. 

“Zoro, would you do me the honour?”

Zoro was staring at the ground but snapped back to reality. The cook was openly asking him to a romantic stay in a grand hotel. What’s gotten into him? 

“Uh, are you sure?” Zoro asked. 

“I’m sure,” Sanji replied. 

Zoro’s face involuntarily moulded into a smile. He was proud of the cook. This was the first step to acceptance and finally, he hadn’t fucked up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought we deserved a chapter from only Zoro's perspective!


End file.
